parapet

noun

par·​a·​pet ˈper-ə-pət 

-ˌpet,

ˈpa-rə-

1

: a wall, rampart, or elevation of earth or stone to protect soldiers

The invaders fired arrows over the castle's parapet.

2

: a low wall or railing to protect the edge of a platform, roof, or bridge

called also parapet wall

The visitor peered over the parapet with binoculars.

parapeted

ˈper-ə-ˌpe-təd 

ˈpa-rə-

adjective

Illustration of parapet

• P parapet 1

Examples of parapet in a Sentence

The invaders fired arrows over the castle's parapet.

Recent Examples on the Web

Meanwhile, a parapet would stand at 28 feet 6 inches and the skylight would be at 29 feet 1 inch. —Noah Lyons, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Mar. 2025

Then, as the credits sequence continues through the creative team, things get more ominous: Monkeys assemble together, climbing the parapets, even as someone tries to hold them off (?) with a spider. —Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 16 Feb. 2025

And to allay the fears of brownstone-dwellers: A cornice is not a parapet, so most brownstones don’t actually have parapets. —Kim Velsey, Curbed, 9 Oct. 2024

About 100 parapet caps were taken from a bridge near Ryecroft Lane and tossed into Harpeth River sometime on Aug. 7, Franklin Police said. —Gabrielle Chenault, Nashville Tennessean, 12 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Middle French & Italian; Middle French parapete, parapet, borrowed from Italian parapetto, from para "(it) shields, protects" (3rd singular present of parare "to prepare, adorn, avert, shield") + petto "breast, chest," going back to Latin pector-, pectus — more at parry, pectoral entry 2

First Known Use

1590, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing parapet

• put/stick/raise one's head above the parapet

Rhymes for parapet

• alphabet
• arpanet
• bayonet
• biuret
• cigarette
• clarinet
• coronet
• coverlet
• dataset
• epithet
• ethernet
• heavyset

Kids Definition

parapet

noun

par·​a·​pet ˈpar-ə-pət 

-ˌpet

1

: a wall of earth or stone to protect soldiers

2

: a low wall or railing at the edge of a platform, roof, or bridge