bulwark
oxford
views updated May 11 2018bul·wark / ˈboŏlˌwərk/ •
n. a defensive wall. ∎ fig. a person, institution, or principle that acts as a defense: the security forces are a bulwark against the breakdown of society.
The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English
bulwark
oxford
views updated May 23 2018bulwark rampart, fortification XV; raised side of a ship XIX. immed. source doubtful, but prob. ult. a comp. of the words repr. by
BOLE and
WORK; cf. late MHG.
bolwerk ballista, fortification.
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD
Bulwark
gale
views updated May 18 2018Bulwark
a collection of persons acting as a defense or safeguard to protect an ideal or way of life.
Examples: bulwark of Christendom, 1577; of our laws, 1614; of our liberties, 1789; to theology, 1837.
Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms
