barbican

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Old French barbacane, of uncertain origin: compare Arabic بَرْبَخ (barbaḵ, aqueduct, sewer), and Persian باب‌خانه (bâb-khâne, gatehouse).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈbɑː(ɹ)bɪkən/

Noun

barbican (plural barbicans)

  1. A tower at the entrance to a castle or fortified town
  2. A fortress at the end of a bridge.
  3. An opening in the wall of a fortress through which the guns are levelled; a narrow loophole through which arrows and other missiles may be shot.
    • 1922 James Joyce, Ulysses 11:
      Two shafts of soft daylight fell across the flagged floor from the high barbacans.
  4. A temporary wooden tower built for defensive purposes.

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References

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