Word
rampart
Phoneticsram·part
US/ˈɹæmˌpɑɹt/
UK/ɹˈæmpɑːt/
Definitions
02a protection
n. anything that acts as a strong protection against danger or outside influence.
n. a figurative protective barrier or bulwark that defends against intrusion or attack.
“The new law was seen as a rampart for the rights of workers.”
“Free speech is often described as the final rampart of a democratic society against the encroachment of authoritarianism.”
Literary
03to fortify
v. to build a wall or bank of earth around a place to protect it.
v. to surround or fortify a location with a rampart or similar defensive structure.
“The villagers worked through the night to rampart their small settlement.”
“The general ordered the engineers to rampart the camp before the enemy could regroup for a counter-attack.”
Archaic
Usage
The verb is transitive and requires a direct object.
Real-World Examples
“New excavations have clarified the existence of a multiphase ditch, rampart and wall built across a narrow section of the Oued Beht ridge between the river and a ravine.” Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French rempart (“rampart of a fort”), from Old French remparer (“to defend, fortify, inclose with a rampart”), from re- (“again”) + emparer (“defend, fortify, surround, seize, take possession of”), from Old Occitan amparer, from Vulgar Latin *anteparō (“to prepare”), from ante- + parō (“to prepare”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.