tenaille

T1E1N1A1I1L1L1E1

noun

An outwork in the main ditch of a fortification, in front of the curtain, between two bastions.

OriginFrench tenaille ← Latin tenāculum →
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Meanings

nountenaille (plural tenailles)

plural tenailles

  1. historicalgovernmentAn outwork in the main ditch of a fortification, in front of the curtain, between two bastions.

Origin

  1. Latintenāculum
  2. Frenchtenaille“a pair of pincers or tongs”
  3. Englishtenaille

From French tenaille (“a pair of pincers or tongs”), from its pincer-like shape, from Latin tenāculum. See tenaculum and tenaillon.

More words from French, Latin

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

tenaille. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tenaille

MLA

“tenaille.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tenaille. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tenaille,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tenaille.

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