palisade

1 of 2

noun

pal·​i·​sade ˌpa-lə-ˈsād How to pronounce palisade (audio)
1
a
: a fence of stakes especially for defense
b
: a long strong stake pointed at the top and set close with others as a defense
2
: a line of bold cliffs

palisade

2 of 2

verb

palisaded; palisading

transitive verb

: to fortify with palisades

Did you know?

Palisade comes from Latin palus, meaning "stake." The word originally applied to one of a series of stakes set in a row to form an enclosure or fortification. In time, its meaning was extended to a fence of stakes and, by association, to stretches of steep cliffs bordering a river.

Examples of palisade in a Sentence

Noun the palisades that line the west bank of the Hudson River for about 15 miles
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The discovery of palisades suggests the settlement was fortified with thousands of spiked planks used as defensive barricades, but archaeologists are unsure why it was needed by villagers. Camille Fine, USA TODAY, 21 Aug. 2023 Peck passed an area racked and rearranged last fall by the Merbok storm, evidence of the disfigurement still evident in the clusters of mangled fish camps and spiky bundles of driftwood poking through the snow cover like palisades or anti-tank obstacles in no-man’s land. Zachariah Hughes, Anchorage Daily News, 17 Mar. 2023 As Steven Morris writes for the Guardian, the Mount Pleasant complex originally consisted of a timber-and-stone monument; a henge, or circular enclosure surrounded by a ditch; and a palisade, or fence made out of enormous felled trees. Nora McGreevy, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Nov. 2020 The homes, the stilts and the palisade burned and quickly collapsed into the river. Gemma Tarlach, Discover Magazine, 15 Aug. 2019 Some of the palisade troughs researchers discovered were still intact upon excavation, Radio Prague International reports. Joshua Hawkins, BGR, 28 Sep. 2022 Also discovered during excavation was physical evidence of a palisade, or defensive wall. Hartford Courant, 19 May 2022 Foreman said there’s not a more appropriate boundary for the Alamo to interpret than the palisade, which links the mission era to both sides of the war between Texas and Mexico. Scott Huddleston, San Antonio Express-News, 30 Dec. 2021 That’s why Travis assigned Crockett to the palisade, Foreman said. Scott Huddleston, San Antonio Express-News, 30 Dec. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'palisade.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

French palissade, ultimately from Latin palus stake — more at pole

First Known Use

Noun

1588, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1632, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of palisade was in 1588

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Dictionary Entries Near palisade

Cite this Entry

“Palisade.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/palisade. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

palisade

1 of 2 noun
pal·​i·​sade ˌpal-ə-ˈsād How to pronounce palisade (audio)
1
a
: a stout high fence of stakes especially for defense
b
: a long strong pointed stake set close with others as a defense
2
: a line of steep cliffs

palisade

2 of 2 verb
palisaded; palisading
: to surround or protect with palisades

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