rampart

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French rempart (“rampart of a fort”), from Old French remparer (“to defend, fortify, inclose with a rampart”), from re- (“again”) +‎ emparer (“defend, fortify, surround, seize, take possesion of”), from Old Occitan amparer, from Vulgar Latin *anteparō (“to prepare”), from 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.
   • 1980, AA Book of British Villages, Drive Publications Ltd, page 154, about Dorchester, Oxon:

     Between the southern end of the village, called Bridge End, and the River Thames runs a double row of ramparts and a ditch known as Dyke Hills.

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 (da)
• Dutch: wal (nl)
• Finnish: suojavalli
• French: rempart (fr)
• German: Festungswall m, Wall (de) m, Verteidigungswall (de) m, Schutzwall (de) m, Befestigungswall 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)
• Danish: bolværk (da) n
• 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
• Macedonian: бе́дем m (bédem)
• Maori: pākaiahi, maioro
• Ottoman Turkish: قلعه دیواری (kalʼe duvarı), حصار (hisar)
• 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
• Macedonian: о́дбрана (mk) f (ódbrana)
• 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.
   • 1796, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Ode on the Departing Year‎^[1] (pamphlet), Bristol, page 14:

     Those grassy Hills, those glitt’ring 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, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “rampart”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “rampart”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.