merlon
1 synonym for merlon, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — A merlon is one of the upright sections between the gaps of a battlement, originally providing cover for archers.
Synonyms
Everyday swaps
Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.
How to use merlon
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
battlement merlons
a row of merlons
stone merlons
between the merlons
Merlon is a specialist term from architecture and military history, not everyday vocabulary.
Etymology
Merlon was borrowed from French merlon, which came from Italian merlone, itself built from merlo plus an augmentative suffix. The word is thought to go back to Late Latin and Latin merula, meaning blackbird, from the idea that merlons look like a row of birds lined up along a wall.
Full origin of merlon →Frequently asked questions
What is a merlon on a castle?
It is one of the solid upright blocks along the top of a battlement, standing between the gaps.
What was a merlon used for?
Defenders could shelter behind it while firing arrows through the gaps or loopholes at its sides.
Where does the word merlon come from?
It was borrowed from French, which took it from Italian, and the trail leads back to a Latin word linked to blackbirds.
