Barricade

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /ˌbæɹɪˈkeɪd/

Definitions

1. A temporary obstruction or fortified barrier constructed to block passage or provide defense against attack or intrusion
2. A structure built to obstruct access or movement and to offer protection from hostile forces or unexpected danger
3. An artificial barrier created to restrict entry or egress while providing a form of defense against aggression or threats

Etymology: Before it meant a wall of street debris, the idea was a barrel. The French "barricade" is most likely connected to "barrique", a cask, and the connection is probably the point: defenders filled barrels with earth, stone, or rubble and stacked them to block a road or gap. The Spanish form "barricado", which English also drew on, shows the same pattern. The word came into English by two routes that merged. It was borrowed from French, and it also seems to have been shaped by the earlier Spanish or Italian "barricado" and its French-style spelling. The verb developed from the noun, so blocking a passage was named before the act of blocking it.

Synonyms: obstacle, barrier

Antonyms: open, passage