defilade

[ def-uh-leyd ]

noun

1. protection or shielding from hostile ground observation and flat projecting fire provided by an artificial or natural obstacle, as a hill.

verb (used with object)

, def·i·lad·ed, def·i·lad·ing.

1. to shield from enemy fire by using natural or artificial obstacles.

defilade

/ ˌdɛfɪˈleɪd /

noun

1. protection provided by obstacles against enemy crossfire from the rear, or observation
2. the disposition of defensive fortifications to produce this protection

verb

1. to provide protection for by defilade

Word History and Origins

Origin of defilade¹

First recorded in 1820–30; from French défil(er), originally, “to unthread” (equivalent to dé- negative prefix + (en)filer “to thread,” ultimately from Latin fīlum “thread”) + French -ade noun suffix denoting action or process; dis- ¹, -ade ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of defilade¹

C19: see de- , enfilade

Example Sentences

One man makes it across the defilade on the beach and another does not.

From The Daily Beast

Luckily, they soon got under some excellent defilade, but not until they had suffered heavily.

From Project Gutenberg

This position commanded Fort Sanders, so that it now became necessary to defilade the fort.

From Project Gutenberg

In its construction the principles of defilade have been completely ignored.

From Project Gutenberg