Skip to main content
tilt barrier

tilt barrier

9.9
A long wooden fence between two knights during a joust to stop them hitting each other
  • noun
  • Archaic
translation icon : barrera de inclinación
  • During the tournament, the tilt barrier ensured that the knights charged safely without veering into each other's path.

Examples

  • The museum's replica of a tilt barrier demonstrates how jousting matches were organized in medieval times.

  • Without a tilt barrier, early jousts could become dangerously chaotic and unpredictable.

  • The knight's lance struck the tilt barrier with a loud crack.

  • During the tournament, each competitor adjusted their tilt barrier carefully.

  • During the tournament, the tilt barrier kept the knights aligned and safe as they competed in jousting.

  • The historical exhibit featured a tilt barrier, illustrating its important role in jousting events.

  • With the tilt barrier in place, the jousting match proceeded smoothly without any dangerous collisions.

Synonyms

barrier
vstilt barrier
163 2.8

A thing that blocks movement or keeps places apart

is a wooden fence used in jousting to prevent collisions and set lance angle

Surface Forms

tilt barrier singular
tilt barriers plural

Morphology

tilt + barrier

This is a straightforward noun–noun composition: 'tilt' (a joust) + 'barrier' (an obstacle), so the meaning 'a barrier used in jousting' is directly derivable from the constituents. While 'tilt' in the sense 'joust' is somewhat specialized/archaic, if a learner knows that sense the compound follows normal compositional patterns and is transparent.

Etymology

Tilt barrier comes from old jousting matches called tilts. In a tilt, a wooden barrier ran between the riders to keep them riding straight and to stop their horses from crashing, so tilt barrier now means the fence used to keep a joust safe.