Openings in walls or fortifications, typically slanted, that allow weapons to be fired while providing protection to those inside.
From French 'embrasure,' derived from 'embraser' (to widen), which comes from Old French 'bras' (arm). The term evolved to describe the architectural feature of widened openings in medieval castle walls.
Medieval castle builders discovered that if they angled the openings wider on the inside than outside, archers could shoot in many directions while remaining protected—it's basically ancient military engineering optimization that made fortifications way more effective.
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