a medieval defensive structure consisting of a wooden or metal framework covered with sharp spikes or points, used to obstruct movement.
French 'hérisson' literally meaning 'hedgehog', from Latin 'ericius'. The military term transfers the animal's spiky appearance to defensive obstacles.
Medieval engineers basically made a weaponized hedgehog—imagine a portable maze of deadly spikes that would stop cavalry charges or make scaling walls nearly impossible, and you've got a herisson.
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