An action or force intended to prevent, stop, or reverse ruin or destruction, or a military fortification designed to counter enemy siege techniques.
From counter- + ruin. Ruin comes from Latin ruina meaning a fall or collapse. This term appears primarily in military architecture and strategic contexts, particularly in discussion of medieval and early modern fortifications.
Medieval engineers built counterruins—extra fortified structures that made it nearly impossible to destroy the main castle—it's architectural stacking of defenses, like putting a shield inside your shield.
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