portculleis

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A form of portcullis — A gate in the form of a grating which is lowered into place at the gateway of a castle, a fort, etc.

Scrabble 15

Meanings

nounportculleis (plural portculleises)

plural portculleises

  1. archaicArchaic form of portcullis.

    But lô, ear they retyerd; Cambuscan wheeles, and with his horsemen at his angrie heeles, fell on Algarsifes rear, and cutt off those whome no portculleis had, ne walles t’enclose.

    1616, Fred[eric]k J[ames] Furnivall, editor, John Lane’s Continuation of Chaucer’s ‘Squire’s Tale’, edited from the original MS. version of 1616, […], London: […] for the Chaucer Society by Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co., Limited, […], published 1887–1890, part VII, page 104
    3 more examples

    And alſo the Q. highneſſs Aulnageor of the ſaid County Palantine for the time being, vpon triall of the weight of euery ſuch Cotton, Frize, and Rugge, ſhall fixe and put, or cauſe to bee fixed and put to euery ſuch cotton, frize, and rug, the Queenes highneſſe ſeale of leade hauing the Portculleis crowned, ingraued on the other ſide thereof, and the true weight of euery ſuch cotton, Friſe or rugge, to bee ingraued on the other ſide of the ſaid ſeale, vpon paine of forfeiture of all and euerie ſuch clothes, cottons, friezes, and rugges, conueied, carried, ſent, ſold, and put to ſale, or to the intent to be ſold being vnſealed, contrary to the meaning of this preſent Act:[…]

    1621, “Draperie”, in A Collection in English, of the Statutes now in force, continued from the beginning of Magna Charta, made in the 9. yere of the Raigne of King H. 3. vntill the end of the Parliament holden in the 7. yere of the Raigne of our Soueraigne Lord King Iames, vnder Titles placed by order of Alphabet: […], London: […] the Societie of Stationers, folios 122 verso – 123, recto, columns 2–1

    Me thinkes that word ſpoke from a Neuils mouth, / Should like an earthquake rend your chained gates, / And teare in peeces your portculleiſes. /[…] / Come we will pull vp our Portculleiſes, / And let me ſee thee enter if thou dare.

    1626, The First and Second parts of King Edward the fourth. […], first part

    Further, there were two great Rounds in ilk Side of the Gate, and a great Portculleis of Tree, falling down with the Manner of a Barrace, with a Draw-Bridge, and a great Stank of Water of ſixteen Foot deep, and thirty Foot of Breadth.

    1728, Robert Lindesay of Pitscottie, “The History of King James V.”, in The History of Scotland; From 21 February, 1436. to March, 1565. […], Edinburgh: […] Mr. [John] Baskett and Company, […], page 146
Cite this entry
APA

portculleis. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/portculleis

MLA

“portculleis.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/portculleis. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “portculleis,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/portculleis.

Source: portculleis on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.