Palisadoing

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Fortifying an area by surrounding it with a row of sharpened stakes driven into the ground
2. Enclosing or defending a place with an upright barrier of pointed wooden posts
3. Building a defensive fence of closely set stakes around a camp, fort or other position

Etymology: "Palisadoing" is the present participle and gerund of "palisado," a verb meaning to fence or enclose an area with palisades, the upright stakes sharpened at the top that were used as defensive barriers. The base verb grew out of the noun "palisado," which in turn came from the Spanish "palizada," a fence of stakes, itself built on "palo," a stick or pole, from Latin "palus," a stake. The "-ing" ending simply turns the action into an ongoing process or a noun for it, so "palisadoing" names the act of building such a barrier, or the barrier of stakes itself. Its meaning is therefore tied closely to the military and frontier fortifications the base word describes.

Synonyms: palisade, stockade, fortify