/blok"hows'/ , n. , pl. blockhouses /how'ziz/ .
1. Mil. a fortified structure with ports or loopholes through which defenders may direct gunfire.
2. Also called garrison house . (formerly) a building, usually of hewn timber and with a projecting upper story, having loopholes for musketry.
3. a house built of squared logs.
4. Rocketry. a structure near a launching site for rockets, generally made of heavily reinforced concrete, for housing and protecting personnel, electronic controls, and auxiliary apparatus before and during launching operations.
[ 1505-15; blochuus, equiv. to bloc BLOCK + huus HOUSE ]