bastion
oxford
views updated Jun 08 2018bas·tion / ˈbaschən/ •
n. a projecting part of a fortification built at an angle to the line of a wall, so as to allow defensive fire in several directions. ∎ fig. an institution, place, or person strongly defending or upholding particular principles, attitudes, or activities: the last bastion of male privilege.
The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English
bastion
oxford
views updated May 29 2018bastion. 1. Defensive projection, usually canted on plan and with
battered sides, at an angle of a fortress from which the ground in front of
ramparts may be viewed and raked with fire.
2. In gardens, a vantage-point in a corner, or a raised projection, like an arrow-head bastion.
A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture JAMES STEVENS CURL
Bastion
gale
views updated May 23 2018Bastion
BASTION. A projection of a fortification that permits the defender to fire along the front of the main wall (or "curtain").
SEE ALSO Enfilade.
Encyclopedia of the American Revolution: Library of Military History
bastion
oxford
views updated May 18 2018bastion projecting part of a fortification. XVI. — F.
bastion — It.
bastione, ult. f. Gmc. *
bastjan BASTE1.
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD
