MDDM Ch. 52

[Dave Monroe]

"By now he knows the Castle like a Cat, no perch too
precarious nor roof-slate too slippery, as he goes
a-flowing one to the next among holds upon the facial
features of Gargoyles known, perforce, with some
intimacy, across Counter-scarps, to an through
Machicolations in the Moon-light...." (M&D, Ch. 52, p.
506)

Counterscarf

Coun"ter*scarf` (-sk?rf`), n. [Counter- + scarp: cf.
F. contrescarpe.] (Fort.) The exterior slope or wall
of the ditch; -- sometimes, the whole covered way,
beyond the ditch, with its parapet and glacis; as, the
enemy have lodged themselves on the counterscarp. 

http://machaut.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/WEBSTER.page.sh?PAGE=333

Main Entry: scarp 
Pronunciation: 'skärp
Function: noun
Etymology: Italian scarpa
Date: 1589
1 : the inner side of a ditch below the parapet of a
fortification
2 a : a line of cliffs produced by faulting or erosion
-- see FAULT illustration b : a low steep slope along
a beach caused by wave erosion
- scarped adjective

Main Entry: ma·chic·o·la·tion 
Pronunciation: m&-"chi-k&-'lA-sh&n
Function: noun
Etymology: Medieval Latin machicolare to furnish with
machicolations, from Middle French machicoller, from
machicoleis machicolation, from macher to crush + col
neck, from Latin collum -- more at COLLAR
Date: 1788
1 a : an opening between the corbels of a projecting
parapet or in the floor of a gallery or roof of a
portal for discharging missiles upon assailants below
-- see BATTLEMENT illustration b : a gallery or
parapet containing such openings
2 : construction imitating medieval machicolation
- ma·chic·o·lat·ed  /m&-'chi-k&-"lA-t&d/ adjective

http://m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary

Machicolation (Page: 879)
Mach`i*co*la"tion (?), n. [Cf. LL. machicolamentum,
machacolladura, F. mâchicolis, mâchecoulis; perh. fr.
F. m\'8ache match, combustible matter + OF. coulis,
couleis, flowing, fr. OF. & F. couler to flow. Cf.
Match for making fire, and Cullis.] 

1. (Mil. Arh.) An opening between the corbels which
support a projecting parapet, or in the floor of a
gallery or the roof of a portal, shooting or dropping
missiles upen assailants attacking the base of the
walls. Also, the construction of such defenses, in
general, when of this character. See Illusts. of
Battlement and Castle. 

2. The act of discharging missiles or pouring burning
or melted substances upon assailants through such
apertures. 

http://machaut.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/WEBSTER.sh?WORD=Machicolation

MACHICOLATION

An opening between supports on a castle parapet
for dropping missiles on an enemy.

When the world was younger, the principal defence
against attackers was the castle, so effective before
the age of gunnery that the only way to subdue it was
to undermine its walls. To stop the enemy doing this,
defenders evolved several techniques, one of which was
to build out structures from the tops of the walls so
that stones, boiling oil or other deterrents could be
dropped on those below. At first these structures were
of wood (called hoardings) but they were later
reconstructed in stone, most commonly over the
particularly vulnerable gatehouses but in some cases
all along the walls. The word came from the Old French
machicolor, a compound of Provençal macar, 'crush',
and col, 'neck', a graphic description of the result
of being bombarded with stones from on high while you
were trying to dig. 

http://www.quinion.com/words/weirdwords/ww-mac1.htm

For illustrations, see ...

machicolation : a gallery projecting on brackets and
built on the outside of castle towers and walls,with
openings in the floor through which to drop molten
lead, boiling oil, and missiles.

http://www.pitt.edu/~medart/menuglossary/machicolation.htm

SYLLABICATION: ma·chic·o·la·tion 
PRONUNCIATION:   m-chk-lshn 
NOUN: 1a. A projecting gallery at the top of a castle
wall, supported by a row of corbeled arches and having
openings in the floor through which stones and boiling
liquids could be dropped on attackers. b. One of these
openings. 2. A row of small corbeled arches used as an
ornamental architectural feature.

http://www.bartleby.com/61/70/M0007000.html

http://www.bartleby.com/61/imagepages/A4machic.html

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