palisade
7 synonyms and 0 antonyms for palisade, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — A fence of strong stakes or iron bars set upright in the ground, built as a defence or barrier.
Synonyms
Less common
Still standard English, but they carry more weight.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
Synonyms by Meaning
1. noun
A fence of strong stakes or iron bars set upright in the ground, built as a defence or barrier.
“The settlement was ringed by a timber palisade twice the height of a man.”
2. noun
A line of tall cliffs, especially ones with a striking vertical, column-like face along a river. Usually in the plural.
“The Palisades rise sheer above the west bank of the Hudson.”
How to Use Palisade
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
Neutral; historical, military, botanical and security contexts.
Etymology
From French palissade, from Provençal palissada, ultimately from Latin palus 'a stake'. The same root gives pale in the sense of a fence stake, as in 'beyond the pale'.
Full origin of palisade →Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a palisade and a stockade?
They overlap heavily. A palisade is any defensive fence of upright stakes or bars, and may enclose a settlement or simply line an approach. A stockade usually means a fully enclosed timber compound, and in American usage also came to mean a military prison.
What is palisade fencing?
It is modern security fencing made of vertical steel pales bolted to horizontal rails, usually with pointed or splayed tops. It is used around substations, depots and railway land because it is hard to climb and easy to see through.
Why are those cliffs called palisades?
Because their columnar rock faces stand in close vertical ranks and look like a row of stakes driven into the ground.