battlement
[ˈbætəɫmənt]noun
battlement is spelled B-A-T-T-L-E-M-E-N-T: 10 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 17 million words in written English, the 124,184th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, battlement means “In fortification: an indented parapet, formed by a series of rising members called cops or merlons, separated by openings called crenelles or…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of battlement is battlements.
How many letters and syllables are in battlement?
| Letters | 10: B-A-T-T-L-E-M-E-N-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 17 million words; the 124,184th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is battlement?
Battlement appears about once in every 17 million words in written English, the 124,184th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce battlement?
- UK [ˈbætəɫmənt]
Battlement has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-battlement.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of battlement
- battlements plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does battlement mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
In fortification: an indented parapet, formed by a series of rising members called cops or merlons, separated by openings called crenelles or embrasures, the soldier sheltering himself behind the merlon while he fires through the embrasure or through a loophole in the battlement.
- 2
Any high wall for defense.
- 3
The towering roof of heaven.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Battlement in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense indented parapet formed by a series of rising members:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | rempart |
| German | Befestigung, Festungsmauer, Mauerzinne, Zinne |
| Portuguese | ameia |
| Spanish | almenaje, almenado, almena |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does battlement come from?
From Middle English batilment, from Old French bataillement, earlier bastillement (“fortification”), from bastillier (“to fortify, to equip with battlements”), from bastille (“fortress”) (see bastion). By surface analysis, battle + -ment.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).