- 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.
(noun) a system of conveying information through visual signals, often using flags, lights, or mechanical arms, especially over long distances.
Before modern radio communication, ships relied on semaphore to send urgent messages across open water.
Semaphore comes from the early 19th-century French word sémaphore, which itself is rooted in the Greek words sēma (meaning “sign”) and phoros (meaning “bearing” or “carrying”), literally translating to “sign-bearer.” The term was first used to describe mechanical signaling towers across France that transmitted messages visually from station to station long before electrical communication existed.