parapet

[ par-uh-pit, -pet ]
See synonyms for parapet on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. Fortification.

    • a defensive wall or elevation, as of earth or stone, in a fortification.

    • an elevation raised above the main wall or rampart of a permanent fortification.

  2. any low protective wall or barrier at the edge of a balcony, roof, bridge, or the like.

Origin of parapet

1
1575–85; <Italian parapetto, equivalent to para-para-2 + petto chest, breast <Latin pectus

Other words from parapet

  • par·a·pet·ed, adjective
  • par·a·pet·less, adjective

Words Nearby parapet

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use parapet in a sentence

  • They met by the parapet of the Quai, just as Père Bracasse had come to the end of his incantation.

  • After the first short spell of shelling our men fixed bayonets and lifted them high above the parapet.

  • On the bridge he paused and, gripping the parapet, made a surprise attack upon his enemy.

    Uncanny Tales | Various

British Dictionary definitions for parapet

parapet

/ (ˈpærəpɪt, -ˌpɛt) /


noun
  1. a low wall or railing along the edge of a balcony, roof, etc

  2. Also called: breastwork a rampart, mound of sandbags, bank, etc, in front of a trench, giving protection from fire from the front

Origin of parapet

1
C16: from Italian parapetto, literally: chest-high wall, from para- ² + petto, from Latin pectus breast

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012