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Glite Dictionary
half-bastion

half-bastion

9.9
A part of a fort that juts out with one face and one side for defense
  • noun
  • Archaic
translation icon : media bastión
  • The fort's half-bastion provided some defense on the weaker side of the wall.

Examples

  • Historical diagrams revealed the presence of a half-bastion at the fortress’s main entrance.

  • Engineers designed a half-bastion to fit the irregular layout of the terrain.

  • The fort had a unique half-bastion design.

  • Can you explain what a half-bastion is?

  • The engineers built a half-bastion to enhance the fort's defense at a vulnerable corner.

  • During the renovation, they discovered a half-bastion that had been hidden for centuries.

  • The half-bastion allowed the defenders to cover more ground effectively from the elevated position.

Synonyms

bastion
vshalf-bastion
  • Specialized
5 8.3

A strong part of a fort that sticks out for protection

is narrower, having only one face and one flank rather than two each
demi-bastion
vshalf-bastion
  • Archaic
9.9

A part of a fort wall that sticks out and has one front and one side for defence

means the same but uses an alternative term

Surface Forms

half-bastion singular
half-bastions plural

Morphology

half-bastion = half + bastion (transparent) = half + bastion

The meaning is directly composed of 'half' + 'bastion' (a bastion that is half-sized or has only one face and one flank), which is clear to learners familiar with both words.

Etymology

Half-bastion combines half ('one of two equal parts') and bastion, a word for a strong part of a fort wall that 'sticks out' so defenders can cover the sides. So a half-bastion is literally 'half' of that projecting defence — only one face and one flank — which explains why it is the smaller, one-sided part of a fort's defence.