barbican

== English == === Alternative forms === barbacan === Etymology === From Old French barbacane, of uncertain origin: compare Arabic بَرْبَخ (barbaḵ, “aqueduct, sewer”), and Persian باب‌خانه (bâb-xâne, “gatehouse”). === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈbɑːbɪkən/ (General American) IPA(key): /ˈbɑɹbɪkən/ === Noun === barbican (plural barbicans) A tower at the entrance to a castle or fortified town. Near-synonym: guardhouse A fortress at the end of a bridge. Coordinate terms: tollgate, tollhouse An opening in the wall of a fortress through which the guns are levelled; a narrow loophole through which arrows and other missiles may be shot. Synonyms: balistraria, arrowslit, arrow slit, arrow-hole, loophole A temporary wooden tower built for defensive purposes. ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Translations ==== ==== See also ==== === References === Samuel Johnson, Dictionary of the English Language (1766) John A. Simpson and Edmund S. C. Weiner, editors (1989), “barbican”, in The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford: Clarendon Press, →ISBN.