I. ˈramˌpärt, ˈraam-, -pȧt, -mpə(r)t, usu -d.+V noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle French rampart, rempart, from ramparer, remparer to fortify, strengthen, from re- + emparer to defend, protect, seize, from Old Provençal antparar, amparar, from (assumed) Vulgar Latin anteparare — more at amparo
1. : a broad embankment or mound of earth raised as a fortification about a place and usually surmounted by a parapet
2. : something that fortifies, defends, or secures against attack or intrusion : a protective barrier : bulwark
our villages … are often surrounded by these great ramparts of trees — Anne D. Sedgwick
the great rampart of mountains loomed before them
3. : a ridge like a wall of unconsolidated rock fragments, earth, or other debris: as
a. : ice pushed up along a lakeshore
b. : snow at the foot of a talus slope
c. : a shingle ridge formed along a beach by strong waves and currents
II. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
: to surround or protect with or as if with a rampart
glittering dells proudly ramparted with rocks — S.T.Coleridge