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che·val-de-frise

(shə-văl′də-frēz)

n. pl. che·vaux-de-frise (shə-vō′-)

1. An obstacle made of stakes or spikes attached to a log, wooden frame, or metal drum and used to block enemy advancement or prevent unauthorized access.

2. A line of jagged glass or spikes set into masonry on top of a wall.

[French, Frisian horse (from its use in Friesland to compensate for a lack of cavalry) : cheval, horse + de, of + Frise, Friesland.]

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cheval-de-frise

c. 1861-1865 cheval-de-frise

Petersburg, Virginia

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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