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Glite Dictionary
semi-circular bastion

semi-circular bastion

9.9
A curved wall shaped like a half circle that sticks out from a fort to protect it
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : bastión semicircular
  • Engineers abandoned the semi-circular bastion design in favor of more angular fortifications.

Examples

  • Many semi-circular bastions were built in the 16th century.

  • The old fortress still stands, featuring a prominent semi-circular bastion overlooking the valley.

  • Archaeologists studied a ruined semi-circular bastion dating back to the Elizabethan era.

  • The fortress featured a semi-circular bastion for defense.

  • The old fortress still stands, featuring a prominent semi-circular bastion overlooking the valley.

  • Engineers abandoned the semi-circular bastion design in favor of more angular fortifications.

  • Archaeologists studied a ruined semi-circular bastion dating back to the Elizabethan era.

Synonyms

bastion
vssemi-circular bastion
  • Specialized
5 8.3

A strong part of a fort that sticks out for protection

is a specific curved form used in 16th-century forts rather than the general projection
half-moon bastion
vssemi-circular bastion
  • Archaic
9.9

A curved part of a fort wall shaped like a half moon for defenders to fire on attackers

has the same meaning but uses an alternative name for the same feature

Surface Forms

semi-circular bastion singular
semi-circular bastions plural

Morphology

semi-circular + bastion

The noun phrase is compositionally transparent: 'semi-circular' describes the shape (half-circle) and 'bastion' names a defensive projection, so the combined meaning 'a bastion that is semicircular in shape' is directly derivable from the parts. This follows a common adjective+noun pattern found across languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent meanings would readily understand the MWE despite any historical detail in the full definition.

Etymology

Semi-circular bastion comes from old fort design: a bastion is a part of a wall that sticks out and semi-circular means a 'half circle', so picture a half-round projection standing away from the main wall. That's why the term names a curved defensive work used in old forts, later replaced because it did not work well against guns.