bulwark
/ˈbʊl.wək/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 2.76 in modern English
16
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A breakwater.
Example Sentences
- "Let thouſands die, their ſlaughtered Carkaſſes Shal ſerue for walles and bulwarkes to the reſt:"
- "The royal navy of England hath ever been its greatest defence, […] the floating bulwark of the island."
- "Entering that gable-ended Spouter-Inn, you found yourself in a wide, low, straggling entry with old-fashioned wainscots, reminding one of the bulwarks of some condemned old craft."
- "The party stalwarts constitute the bulwark that ensures the president's term of office."
- "Willing to upend the nation’s postwar role as a bulwark against authoritarianism, he promises to usher in a foreign policy rooted in “America First” transactionalism."
Etymology
From Middle English bulwerk, from Middle Dutch bolwerk, bolwerc and Middle Low German bolwerk, equivalent to bole (“tree trunk”) + work. Cognate with German Bollwerk, Danish bolværk, Swedish bålverk, Dutch bolwerk. Doublet of boulevard (from French boulevard, from Dutch); cognate with Portuguese and Spanish baluarte and Italian baluardo.
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈbʊl.wək/
- British English: /ˈbʊl.wək/