obsidional

English

WOTD – 24 January 2016

Etymology

From Latin obsidionalis, from obsidio (siege, blockade), from obsidere (beset, besiege, hem in).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /əbˈsɪdɪənəl/
  • Hyphenation: ob‧si‧di‧on‧al

Adjective

obsidional

  1. Pertaining to a siege.
    • 1846–1847, Henry Edward Napier, “Miscellaneous Chapter for the Fifteenth Century”, in Florentine History, from the Earliest Authentic Records to the Accession of Ferdinand the Third, Grand Duke of Tuscany. [...] In Six Volumes, volume IV, London: Edward Moxon, OCLC 70326326, page 3:
      Nor was this strong geographical position her [Florence's] only bulwark; the capital itself in those unskilful days of obsidional tactics was deemed impregnable except through famine.

Derived terms

Translations

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