Merlons

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. This term signifies the solid, upright components in the fortifications of a castle, providing cover against attacks while forming part of a parapet
2. Elements of a battlement that rise above the wall; vertical projections that serve to protect defenders from incoming fire while creating a distinctive architectural feature
3. The raised sections located along the top of a fortress wall, arranged to provide defensive shelter for soldiers while contributing to the visual design of the structure

Etymology: The "merlon" is the solid block of a castle battlement, the part that stands between the gaps called crenels. Its name, it turns out, is a bird. Italian "merlo" came from Late Latin "merulus" or "merlus", which may derive from Latin "merula", meaning blackbird. The likeness is easy to see: a row of merlons along a wall looks like a line of birds perched on the parapet. The Italian root spread through the Romance languages, giving French "merlon", Spanish "merlón" and Portuguese "merlão". Italian also has "mergolo", meaning battlement or pinnacle, a close relative built from the same stock. The English word was borrowed from French, which took its form from Italian "merlone", an augmentative formed by adding the suffix "-one" to "merlo". So the plural "merlons" is simply a row of these blocks, and the bird inside the name is the original picture.