A protruding fortification or bulging part of a military fortification system designed to attack an enemy's salient from the sides, or a tactical position created to counter an enemy's bulging offensive line.
From counter- + salient. Salient comes from Latin salire meaning to leap or project forward. This fortification term emerged during the development of trace italienne (star fort) architecture in the 15th-16th centuries.
In star fort design, countersalients are genius—when an enemy's forces bulge forward into your position, your countersalients flank them from the sides. It's like a military bear trap.
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