Skip to main content
embrasure

embrasure

1 9.9
An opening in a wall for firing a gun or looking out
  • noun
  • /ɛmˈbreɪʒər/
  • Specialized
: saetera
  • A little hairy mop of a dog stood balanced in an embrasure, barking furiously.
  • window embrasure
  • embrasures in the parapets
  • a shadowy embrasure

Examples

  • Night pressed at the narrow windows, which were almost like castle embrasures in the limestone walls.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • Meredydd perched in the window embrasure, the scent of moist earth rich in her nostrils.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • To the right, the wall turned a right-angle corner and gave way to the window embrasure.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • Pol sat down in a window embrasure, one foot tucked under him.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • Alain glances over the embrasure.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • The biggest leopard he had ever seen sat crouched in the embrasure, back to the dawn sky, swatting at the dog with one paw.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • Branig stepped out of a shadowy embrasure and murmured, "I'd begun to worry." "That I'd lost my courage?"

    Fiction book (1992)
  • The soldiers took cover behind the embrasure to shield themselves from enemy fire.

  • She peered through the embrasure to observe the battlefield without being seen.

  • During the siege, the archers stationed at each embrasure were crucial for defending the fortress.

Synonyms

opening
vsembrasure
101 1.0

A space that lets people move through, for example a door

is specific to wall slits made for firing or observing in defenses
port
vsembrasure
  • Specialized
57 6.7

An opening in a wall, ship, or vehicle for firing weapons through

is focused on fortification wall slits for firing and observing
rift
vsembrasure
40 4.8

A narrow crack or gap in solid things like rock and clouds

is about man made wall openings used for firing or observing not natural cracks
aperture
vsembrasure
12 7.0

An opening in a surface or structure, like a hole in a wall

is used especially for any hole not only defensive weapon slits
porthole
vsembrasure
  • Specialized
3 6.7

An opening in the side of a ship or armored vehicle for firing weapons

is mainly used for fortification openings and observation not just circular ones
loophole
vsembrasure
1 7.1

A narrow opening in a fort wall for looking or firing weapons

is a general wall opening used for firing or observing

How Wide

opening
101 1.0
port
  • Specialized
57 6.7
embrasure
  • Specialized
1 9.9

Surface Forms

embrasure singular
embrasures plural

Etymology

Embrasure is easy to remember if you think of it like embrace — a wall 'embracing' a gun. An embrasure is an 'opening' in a wall that holds and protects a weapon while letting soldiers fire or look out.