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rected to defend a place against attack; a fortified place; a fortress; a fort; a castle. Fortification agate, Scotch pebble.

A fortifying anew, or a second time. Mitford.

A fortress; a fortification for defense. [Obs.] Bailey.

rst earth being a piece of divine architecture. Burnet. Military architecture, the art of fortifications. -- Naval architecture, the art of building ships.

l the cannon and small arms collectively, with their equipments, belonging to a ship or a fortification.

A mound of earth or a platform in a fortification, on which guns are mounted to fire over the parapet. En barbette, In barbette, said of guns when they are elevated so as to fire over the top of a parapet, and not through embrasures. -- Barbette gun, or Barbette battery, a single gun, or a number of guns, mounted in b…

A fortification, made in haste, of trees, earth, palisades, wagons, or anything that will obstruct the progress or attack of an enemy. It is usually an obstruction formed in streets to block an enemy's access.

A place or tract of country, protected by fortifications, or by natural advantages, from which the operations of an army proceed, forward movements are made, supplies are furnished, etc.

A work projecting outward from the main inclosure of a fortification, consisting of two faces and two flanks, and so constructed that it is able to defend by a flanking fire the adjacent curtain, or wall which extends from one bastion to another. Two adjacent bastions are connected by the curtain, which joins the flank…

A wall built across the ditch of a fortification, with a sluice gate to regulate the height of water in the ditch on both sides of the wall.

One of the solid upright parts of a parapet in ancient fortifications.

Originally, a bulwark or rampart of fortification or fortified town.

A gap or opening made made by breaking or battering, as in a wall or fortification; the space between the parts of a solid body rent by violence; a break; a rupture. Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more; Or close the wall up with our English dead. Shak.

The interior slope of a fortification, against which the garnison lean in firing.

A fortification commanding the extremity of a bridge nearest the enemy, to insure the preservation and usefulness of the bridge, and prevent the enemy from crossing; a tête-de-pont.

A rampart; a fortification; a bastion or outwork.

A fortress in or near a fortified city, commanding the city and fortifications, and intended as a final point of defense. Syn. - Stronghold. See Fortress.

The outline of a horizontal section of the ground, or of works of fortification. Contour feathers (Zoöl.), those feathers that form the general covering of a bird. -- Contour of ground (Surv.), the outline of the surface of ground with respect to its undulation, etc. -- Contour line (Topographical Suv.), the line in…

The covered way lying round the whole compass of the fortifications of a place. [R.]

s; at a critical time; in a situation. place, or condition of decisive consequence; as, a fortification critically situated. Coming critically the night before the session. Bp. Burnet.