abatis

See also: Abatis and abatís

English

Drawing of an abatis.

Alternative forms

• abattis

Etymology

From French abatis, abattis (“mass of things beaten or cut down”), from abattre. See abate.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) singular IPA^(key): /ˈæbətiː/, plural IPA^(key): /ˈæbətiːz/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈæbətəs/; also singular IPA^(key): /ˈæbətiː/, plural IPA^(key): /ˈæbətiːz/

• Audio (Canada):

  (file)

Noun

abatis (plural abatis or abatises)

1. A means of defense formed by felled trees, or sometimes by bent trees, the ends of whose branches are sharpened and directed outwards, or against the enemy, and more recently fortified with barbed wire. [Mid 19^th century.]
2. (historical) In the Middle Ages, an officer of the stables who had the care of measuring out the provender; an avenor.
3. In coal-mining, walls of cord-wood piled up crosswise to keep the underground roads open so as to secure ventilation.

Derived terms

• abatised

 

Translations

means of defense

• Arabic: حِظَار m (ḥiẓār)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 鹿砦 / 鹿寨 (zh) (lùzhài)

• Danish: forhugning c
• Dutch: verhakking m, prikkeldraadversperring (nl) m
• Esperanto: abatiso (eo)
• Finnish: murros (fi), rytövarustus
• German: Verhau (de) m or n, Baumverhau m or n
• Ido: abatajaro (io)
• Irish: leagarnach
• Italian: abbattuta (it)
• Japanese: 鹿砦 (ろくさい, rokusai), 逆茂木 (さかもぎ, sakamogi)
• Latin: concaedēs
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: forhugning (no) m or f

• Polish: zasiek (pl) m
• Portuguese: abatis m
• Romanian: abatiză (ro) f
• Russian: ^{(please verify)} засе́чная черта́ f (zaséčnaja čertá) , засе́ка (ru) f (zaséka)
• Swedish: förhuggning c, hinder (sv) n
• Tamil: மரக்கிளை அரண் (ta) (marakkiḷai araṇ)
• Vietnamese: ^{(please verify)} đống cây chướng ngại, ^{(please verify)} đống cây cản

Further reading

• Abatis in the Encyclopædia Britannica (11th edition, 1911)
• Century Dictionary, volume 1, 1889, page 5

Anagrams

• Bastia, tabias

Catalan

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central) [əˈβa.tis]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic) [əˈba.tis]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [aˈba.tis]

Verb

abatis

1. second-person singular present subjunctive of abatre

Ido

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /aˈbatis/

Verb

abatis

1. past of abatar

Portuguese

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /a.baˈt͡ʃis/

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /a.baˈt͡ʃis/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /a.baˈt͡ʃiʃ/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ɐ.bɐˈtiʃ/ [ɐ.βɐˈtiʃ]

Noun

abatis m (plural abatises)

1. abatis (fortification formed by felled trees with sharpened branches)