Epaule

/ɪˈpɔːl/ noun

Definition

A fortified gun emplacement or firing position with sloped shoulders built to protect artillery soldiers.

Etymology

From French épaule (shoulder), from Latin spatula (shoulder blade). Military fortification term borrowed into English, referring to the shoulder-like shape of the structure.

Kelly Says

Military architects named this fortification after a 'shoulder' because of its distinctive shape—it's the kind of clever naming that military structures use all the time, making the landscape itself into code.

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