Vallation

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The process of building a fortifying structure or barrier to ensure safety encompasses military and civilian uses
2. It refers to creating earthen or structural defenses for protection in various settings
3. The act of erecting a protective barrier designed to defend an area or building from attack or invasion

Etymology: "Vallation" comes from Latin "vallatio," a noun formed from the verb "vallare," meaning to surround with a rampart. That verb in turn derives from "vallum," the Latin word for a rampart or defensive wall, which is the source of the English word "wall." The word is therefore a close relative of one of the most ordinary words in English, though it has stayed in the vocabulary of fortification rather than everyday building. In Latin, the root sense was concrete: a vallum was an earthwork or palisade thrown up around a camp or town, and to "vallare" was to encircle a place with such a barrier. The noun "vallatio" named the act of doing this, so the English word keeps the same focus on the process of constructing the defence rather than the finished fortification itself.