BARRAGE

I. noun Etymology: French, from barrer to bar, from barre bar Date: 1845 a dam placed in a watercourse to increase the depth of water or to divert it into a channel for navigation or irrigation, II. noun Etymology: French (tir de) ~ barrier fire Date: 1916 artillery fire laid on a line close to friendly troops to screen and protect them, a vigorous or rapid outpouring or projection of many things at once , III. transitive verb (~d; barraging) Date: 1918 to deliver a ~ against