- Today's Word
Rampart
[ ram-pahrt ]
Definition
A rampart is a defensive wall or fortification constructed around a city, castle, or fort to provide protection against enemy attacks. Ramparts often include walls, parapets, and other defensive structures designed to withstand assaults.
Example
Medieval Castle: The medieval castle’s ramparts were built with thick stone walls and battlements to safeguard the inhabitants from invaders.
Fun Fact
The word “rampart” has its origins in military architecture and refers to a defensive wall or fortification built to protect a city or fortress from enemy attacks.
(adjective) Intended for or understood by only a small group with specialized knowledge or interest.
The professor’s lecture was so esoteric that even her graduate students struggled to follow the references, let alone the first-year undergraduates in the back row.
Esoteric derives from the Greek esoterikos, meaning “belonging to an inner circle,” from esotero — “inner” — the comparative form of eso, meaning “within.” It was first used to describe the secret teachings of Pythagoras, shared only with his most devoted inner circle of disciples and deliberately withheld from the general public. The word entered English in the 17th century, carrying that same sense of guarded, inner-circle knowledge.