abatis

American  

[ab-uh-tee, -tis, uh-bat-ee, uh-bat-is] / ˈæb əˌti, -tɪs, əˈbæt i, əˈbæt ɪs /

noun

plural

abatis, abatises

1. an obstacle or barricade of trees with bent or sharpened branches directed toward an enemy.

2. a barbed wire entanglement used as an obstacle or barricade against an enemy.

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abatis British  

/ ˈæbətiː, ˈæbətɪs /

noun

1. a rampart of felled trees bound together placed with their branches outwards

2. a barbed-wire entanglement before a position

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Etymology

Origin of abatis

1760–70; < French; Old French abateis < Vulgar Latin *abatteticius, derivative of Old French abattre ( abate )

Example Sentences

The defenses consisted of two lines of abatis and a line of earthworks manned by Brig.

From Washington Post • Sep. 17, 2021

It may be an entanglement, an abatis, an inundation: anything that will check the rush and make him move slowly.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 6 "Foraminifera" to "Fox, Edward" by Various

Some weeks before, a French officer named Hugues had suggested the defence of this ridge by means of an abatis.

From Historic Handbook of the Northern Tour by Parkman, Francis

The ditch is enclosed with an abatis, which, considering the material and means available, is quite an achievement in the art of field fortification.

From Narrative of the March of Co. A, Engineers from Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, to Fort Bridger, Utah, and Return May 6 to October 3, 1858 by Seville, William P.

Infantry was up most of the night felling trees and building an abatis on the other side of river.

From An Artilleryman's Diary by Jones, Jenkins Lloyd