A fortification or defensive wall, or a row of barriers; also can refer to a musket rest or support used by soldiers.
From Old French 'barrace' or Spanish 'barra,' related to 'bar' and 'barricade.' The term emerged in military and architectural vocabulary during the medieval and Renaissance periods as fortification design advanced.
Early gun-wielders had a real problem—muskets were so heavy and slow to reload that soldiers needed 'barrace' rests to hold them steady and accurate, which is why you see elaborate forked poles in paintings of Renaissance battles.
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