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A ditch is a trench in the earth made by digging, particularly the term is used for a trench for draining wet land, or for making a fence to guard inclosures, or for preventing an enemy from approaching a town or fortress. In the latter sense it is called also a fosse or moat, and is dug round the rampart or wall between tho scarp and counterscarp.
 Research Ditch
A dyke (dike) is a ditch or trench, and also an embankment, rampart, or wall. It is specially applied to an embankment raised to oppose the incursions of the sea or of a river, the dikes of Holland being notable examples of work of this kind. These are often raised 12 metres above the high-water mark, and are wide enough at the top for a common roadway or canal, sometimes for both.
Research Dyke
A berm is a level space about a metre wide between the outside slope of a rampart and the scarp of the ditch in a fortification. In a castle, the berm is the space between the curtain wall and the moat.
Research Berm
Brisure is a term applied to any part of a rampart or parapet of a fortification which deviates from the general direction.
Research Brisure
A bulwark is a rampart, a fortification, a bastion or outwork.
Research Bulwark
In military terms, circumvallation describes a line of field-works consisting of a rampart or parapet, with a trench surrounding a besieged place, or the camp of a besieging army.
Research Circumvallation
In fortifications, a counterguard is a low outwork before a bastion or ravelin, consisting of two lines of rampart parallel to the faces of the bastion, and protecting them from a breaching fire.
Research Counterguard
In fortification, a counterscarp is the exterior slope of the ditch towards the field, in contradistinction to the slope next to the rampart, which is named the scarp or escarp.
Research Counterscarp
In fortifications the curtain is that part of the rampart and parapet which is between two bastions or two gates.
Research Curtain
In fortifications an envelope is a work of earth, in the form of a single parapet or of a small rampart. It was sometimes raised in the ditch and sometimes beyond it.
Research Envelope
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The Probert Encyclopaedia was designed, edited and programed by
Matt and Leela Probert
©1993 - 2009 The Probert Encyclopaedia
Southampton, United Kingdom
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Abbreviations
