Countervallation

Pronunciation: /kaʊntərˌvæˈleɪʃən/

Definitions of countervallation

noun a military defensive wall or earthwork built to oppose or resist a besieging enemy

Example Sentences

A1 I have never heard of the word countervallation before.

A2 The countervallation of the enemy's attack was successful.

B1 The countervallation strategy proved to be effective in defending the fortress.

B2 The general ordered a countervallation to protect the troops from the enemy's siege tactics.

C1 The military commander devised a brilliant countervallation plan to outsmart the enemy forces.

C2 The countervallation of the enemy's siege was a testament to the strategic prowess of the army.

Examples of countervallation in a Sentence

formal The countervallation of the enemy's fortifications proved to be a challenging task for the army.

informal The countervallation of that building is going to take forever!

slang I can't believe we have to do countervallation on this project, it's so tedious.

figurative Her countervallation against criticism showed her strength and resilience.

Grammatical Forms of countervallation

• past tense: countervallated
• plural: countervallations
• comparative: more countervallation
• superlative: most countervallation
• present tense: countervallates
• future tense: will countervallate
• perfect tense: have countervallated
• continuous tense: is countervallating
• singular: countervallation
• positive degree: countervallation
• infinitive: to countervallate
• gerund: countervallating
• participle: countervallating

Origin and Evolution of countervallation

First Known Use: 1601 year

Language of Origin: Latin and French

Story behind the word: The word 'countervallation' originated from the Latin word 'contra-' meaning against, and the French word 'vallation' referring to fortifications or ramparts.

Evolution of the word: Originally used in military contexts to describe the act of constructing defensive works against an enemy's fortifications, the term countervallation has evolved to also refer to any form of defensive strategy or opposition to an opposing force.