Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun In heraldry, a hedgehog.
  • noun In fort., a beam armed with iron spikes pointing outward, and turning on a pivot like a turnstile, used to defend a passage.
  • noun A sort of wooden horse set with spikes or points, formerly used as a military punishment, the culprit being mounted upon it.
  • noun The punishment so inflicted.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (fort.) A beam or bar armed with iron spikes, and turning on a pivot; -- used to block up a passage.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A beam or bar armed with iron spikes, and turning on a pivot, used to block up a passage.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

French hérisson, hedgehog.

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Examples

Comments

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  • A wooden palisade.

    August 25, 2008

  • swinging beam bearing iron spikes

    January 10, 2018