barbican

Definitions  ·  Examples  ·  Pronunciations  ·  Etymologies  ·  Related  ·  Statistics  ·  Comments (4)  · 
“
On entering the small outer barbican, which is reached by a lane from the market-place, we come to the base of the Norman keep.

View all »
Definitions (6)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. noun A tower or other fortification on the approach to a castle or town, especially one at a gate or drawbridge.

Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (4)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913

Toggle WordNet definitions WordNet (1)

Toggle elsewhere links Elsewhere on the web

View all »
Examples (50)

  • The only egress led outside onto a parapet where machicolations fronted the west barbican, above the top of the massive main gate. —  Julian, May - Boreal Moon 01 - Conqueror's Moon
  • She continued through the barbican, seeped past its barred oaken door, and traversed the outer ward, which was deserted except for sentries at the torchlit towngate and Watergate. —  Julian, May - Boreal Moon 01 - Conqueror's Moon
  • So he went to the barbican, picked a spot at random, and started pacing. —  AHMM,January-February2008
  • When the barbican was ready, the King put all the camp under arms, and the Turks made a general onslaught on the King's camp. —  The Memoirs of the Lord of Joinville
  • At the entrance to the barbican, my Lord Erard of Valery rescued Lord John his brother, whom the Turks were leading away prisoner When all the army had crossed through, those who remained in the barbican were in an evil plight; for the barbican was not high and the Turks could see to aim at them from horseback, while the Turks on foot threw clods of earth in their faces. —  The Memoirs of the Lord of Joinville
More examples »
 

Tags

Sign up or sign in to add tags.

Stats

This word has been looked up 51 times.

stop updating
On Twitter

Photos from

flickr images

Etymologies (3)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Middle English, from Old French barbacane, from Medieval Latin barbacana, from Persian barbārkhān : barbār, guard (from Old Iranian *parivāraka-, protective; see wer-4 in Indo-European roots) + khān, house (from Middle Persian).

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (2)

  1. Early modern English also barbacan, etc., from Middle English barbican, berbikan, barbygan, etc., from Old French barbicane, barbaquenne, modern F. barbicane = Provencal Spanish barbicana = Portuguese barbicão = Italian barbicane, from Middle Latin barbicana, barbacana, *barbacanus, a barbican: supposed to be of Arabic or Persian origin, introduced into Europe by the crusaders; cf. Arabic Persian bāb-khānah, a gatehouse, gateway with a tower.
  2. apparently a made word, based (like barbion, q. v.) on F. barbe, a beard.
 

Pronunciations
Record your own »
/ˈbɑrbɪkən/
by American Heritage

Charts
frequency chart

Bubble size: how much this word was used in a year

Bubble height: used more or less than expected, vs. all uses evenly distributed

You can expect to see this word about once a year.

Recently looked up

chaffinch · perceive · crepuscular · pheasant · Lyman's

Recent Favorites

pygopagus · sanglant · Astacus · sweetbread · qualms

Recent Pronunciations

Glockenspiel · Ersatz · Blaukraut bleibt Blaukraut und Brautkleid bleibt Brautkleid · Haifischschwanzflossenfleischsuppe · Der Kottbusser Postkutscher putzt den Kottbusser Postkutschkasten