port·cul·lis (pôrt-k l  s, p rt-)n. A grating of iron or wooden bars or slats, suspended in the gateway of a fortified place and lowered to block passage. [Middle English port-colice, from Old French porte coleice, sliding gate : porte, gate (from Latin porta; see per-2 in Indo-European roots) + coleice, feminine of coleis, sliding (from Vulgar Latin *c l t cius, from Latin cltus, past participle of clre, to filter, strain, from clum, sieve).] |
portcullis [pɔːtˈkʌlɪs]
n
(Fine Arts & Visual Arts / Architecture) an iron or wooden grating suspended vertically in grooves in the gateway of a castle or fortified town and able to be lowered so as to bar the entrance
[C14 port colice, from Old French porte coleïce sliding gate, from porte door, entrance + coleïce, from couler to slide, flow, from Late Latin cōlāre to filter]
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Noun | 1. |  portcullis - gate consisting of an iron or wooden grating that hangs in the entry to a castle or fortified town; can be lowered to prevent passagegate - a movable barrier in a fence or wall |
Translations
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