To subject to enfilade fire, or to pierce through lengthwise.
Directly from French 'enfiler,' meaning to thread or string. The prefix 'en-' (to cause to be) combines with 'file' (thread/line), creating the sense of threading something through.
This word captures something beautiful about language: it comes from sewing and threading, but became a military term. It shows how peaceful, everyday actions get repurposed to describe violent tactics.
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