Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
🏜️ A crescent dune 🛡️ A fort shape 🪟 A curved window
lunette

lunette

9.9
A small crescent-shaped fort built outside main defenses to protect a position
  • noun
  • /luˈnɛt/
  • Archaic
translation icon : luneta
  • The general inspected the lunette before approving it as a forward position.

Examples

  • During the siege, the soldiers constructed a lunette to strengthen their defensive line.

  • The soldiers built a lunette to strengthen their defenses.

  • Ancient military manuals contain diagrams illustrating how to build a proper lunette.

  • A lunette can provide a strategic advantage in battle.

  • During the battle, the soldiers took cover behind the lunette to protect themselves from enemy fire.

  • The fortress was strategically designed with a lunette at each corner to enhance its defensive capabilities.

  • Exploring the old military base, we discovered several lunettes that were part of its fortification system.

How Strong

fortress
106 4.4
earthwork
3 6.0
bastion
  • Specialized
5 8.3
lunette
  • Archaic
9.9
redoubt
  • Specialized
4 9.9

Surface Forms

lunette singular
lunettes plural

Morphology

lunette = lune (semi-transparent) = lune + ette

The word is built from the rare base 'lune' plus the diminutive suffix '-ette', but the military sense is a specialized extension from the idea of a crescent shape.

Etymology

Lunette comes from the French word lune 'moon' plus the small ending -ette, so it literally means 'little moon'. That's why a military lunette is a small, crescent-shaped field fort used to strengthen a defensive line.