rampart

rampart

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French rempart (“a rampart of a fort”), from Old French remparer (“to defend, fortify, inclose with a rampart”), from re- (“again”) + emparer (“to defend, fortify, surround, seize, take possesion of”), from Old Occitan amparer, from Vulgar Latin *anteparō (“to prepare”), from Latin ante- + parō (“to prepare”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɹæm.pɑː(ɹ)t/

• Audio (US)

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Noun

rampart (plural ramparts)

1. A defensive mound of earth or a wall with a broad top and usually a stone parapet; a wall-like ridge of earth, stones or debris; an embankment for defensive purpose.
2. A defensive structure; a protective barrier; a bulwark.
3. That which defends against intrusion from outside; a protection.
4. (usually in the plural) A steep bank of a river or gorge.

Translations

defensive ridge of earth

Arabic: مِتْرَاس‎ m (mitrās) Bulgarian: отбранителен вал (otbranitelen val) Catalan: baluard, terraplé Chinese: Mandarin: 壁壘／壁垒 (zh) (bìlěi), 壁 (zh) (bì), 壘／垒 (zh) (lěi) Czech: val (cs) m Danish: vold Dutch: wal (nl) Finnish: suojavalli French: rempart (fr) German: Festungswall m, Wall (de) m Italian: muro (it) m, cinto (it) m, cinta (it) f, recinto (it) m Japanese: ランパート (ranpāto) Latin: agger (la) m Maori: pākaiahi, maioro Polish: wał obronny m, szaniec (pl) m Portuguese: muro/baluarte/parapeito de terra m, muralha de terra f Russian: вал (ru) m (val), оборони́тельный вал (oboronítelʹnyj val) Scottish Gaelic: mùr m Slovak: val m Spanish: baluarte (es) m, muralla (es) f, terraplén (es) m Turkish: sur (tr) Welsh: rhagfur m

defensive structure; bulwark

Bulgarian: укрепление (bg) n (ukreplenie), бастион m (bastion) Dutch: bolwerk (nl) n Esperanto: remparo Finnish: suojamuuri German: Bollwerk (de) n Ido: remparo (io) Italian: baluardo (it) m Japanese: ランパート (ranpāto) Latin: vallum n, moene n Maori: pākaiahi, maioro Portuguese: baluarte (pt) m Russian: вал (ru) m (val), бастио́н (ru) m (bastión), опло́т (ru) m (oplót) (also figurative) Scottish Gaelic: mùr m, gàrradh m Spanish: baluarte (es) m Turkish: iskihkâm, korunma (tr)

protection against intrusion

Finnish: suojavarustus German: Bollwerk (de) n Maori: pākaiahi Polish: szaniec (pl) m Russian: (городска́я) стена́ (ru) f (stená), защи́та (ru) f (zaščíta) Spanish: defensa (es) f, baluarte (es) m Turkish: set (tr), istihkâm (tr), korunma (tr)

steep bank of a river or gorge

Finnish: jyrkänne (fi) German: Wall (de) m Russian: круто́й бе́рег m (krutój béreg) (реки́) Spanish: muro (es) m

Verb

rampart (third-person singular simple present ramparts, present participle ramparting, simple past and past participle ramparted)

1. To defend with a rampart; fortify or surround with a rampart.
   • 1793, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Ode on the Departing Year

     Those grassy hills, those glittering dells, / Proudly ramparted with rocks.

Derived terms

• ramparted

Related terms

• fraise

Translations

To defend with a rampart; fortify or surround with a rampart

Georgian: მიწაყრილი (mic̣aq̇rili) Polish: bronić (pl), ochraniać (pl) Russian: обносить (ru) (obnositʹ) валом

Further reading

• rampart in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• rampart in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911
• rampart at OneLook Dictionary Search