barbican
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barbican¹
- /ˈbɑːbɪkən/ UK
- /ˈbɑɹbɪkən/ US
Where it comes from
From Old French barbacane, of uncertain origin: compare Arabic بَرْبَخ (barbaḵ, “aqueduct, sewer”), and Persian بابخانه (bâb-xâne, “gatehouse”).
noun barbicans · barbacan
-
A tower at the entrance to a castle or fortified town.
Near-synonym: guardhouse
Similar: guardhouse
- A fortress at the end of a bridge.
-
An opening in the wall of a fortress through which the guns are levelled; a narrow loophole through which arrows and other missiles may be shot.
Two shafts of soft daylight fell across the flagged floor from the high barbacans.
Similar: balistraria, arrowslit, arrow slit, arrow-hole, loophole
- A temporary wooden tower built for defensive purposes.
Barbican²
proper noun
- A neighbourhood in Plymouth, Devon, England (OS grid ref SX4854).
- A neighbourhood and residential estate in the City of London, Greater London, England (OS grid ref TQ3281)
Translations
Talk about this word "barbican." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/barbican. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. barbican. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/barbican "barbican." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/barbican.Cite this
@misc{barbican_2026,
title = {barbican},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/barbican},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
