abatis

noun

ab·​a·​tis ˈa-bə-ˌtē  ˈa-bə-təs 

plural abatis ˈa-bə-ˌtēz  or abatises ˈa-bə-tə-səz 

: a defensive obstacle formed by felled trees with sharpened branches facing the enemy

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French, literally, "act of felling, things felled," going back to Old French abateiz, from abatre "to strike down, fell" + -eiz, -eis, resultative suffix, going back to Vulgar Latin *-ātīcium, neuter of *-ātīcius, from Latin -ātus -ate entry 3 + -īcius, adjective suffix — more at abate

First Known Use

1757, in the meaning defined above