A defensive barrier made from trees that have been felled and arranged with their sharpened branches pointing outward to obstruct enemy movement.
From French 'abatis,' derived from 'abattre' meaning 'to fell' or 'to knock down.' The term became common in English military literature during the 17th century for describing battlefield fortifications.
Battlefield engineering was brutal and simple: cut down trees and point the spiky branches at the enemy—it sounds crude but was devastatingly effective against cavalry charges and was even used in American Revolutionary War battles.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.