bulwark

CEFRC1

/ˈbʊl.wək/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A strong wall or support that protects against danger.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    A breakwater.

Examples

  • Islam is a bulwark against gender ideology.

  • You are our bulwark against anihilation.

At a glance

Sits at C1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
4

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. A defense or safeguard.

  2. A defensive wall or rampart.

  3. The planking or plating along the sides of a nautical vessel above her gunwale that reduces the likelihood of seas washing over the gunwales and people being washed overboard.

More examples

In context

  • The party stalwarts constitute the bulwark that ensures the president's term of office.

  • The royal navy of England hath ever been its greatest defence, […] the floating bulwark of the island.

  • Let thouſands die, their ſlaughtered Carkaſſes Shal ſerue for walles and bulwarkes to the reſt:

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The ancient stone blank protected the city from enemy invasions.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

From Middle English bulwerk, from Middle Dutch bolwerk, bolwerc and Middle Low German bolwerk, equivalent to bole (“tree trunk”) + work. Cognate with German Bollwerk, Danish bolværk, Swedish bålverk, Dutch bolwerk. Doublet of boulevard (from French boulevard, from Dutch); cognate with Portuguese and Spanish baluarte and Italian baluardo.