Vallations

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A series of defensive walls or fortifications designed to protect a place from attacks
2. A construction of barriers that serve as a protective measure against potential invasion or encroachment
3. Referring to structures built as a means of safeguarding an area from external threats or aggression

Etymology: "Vallations" is the plural of "vallation", a noun for a defensive wall or rampart built around a position. The word comes from Latin "vallatio", formed from the verb "vallare", meaning "to surround with a rampart", and that verb in turn comes from "vallum", the Latin word for a rampart or palisade. The Latin "vallum" is the same root that gives English "wall" in its ancient sense, so "vallation" is a close relative of the everyday word for the barrier around a town or fortress. Because the word was taken straight from Latin, it kept the military sense of its source: a line of earthworks or stakes thrown up around an army's camp or a besieged city. Its plural form, "vallations", simply names more than one such fortification, which is the form most often seen when describing several lines of defence around a position.