barbican

Meanings

1. A tower at the entrance to a castle or fortified town.
2. A fortress at the end of a bridge.
3. An opening in the wall of a fortress through which the guns are levelled; a narrow loophole through which arrows and other missiles may be shot.
4. A temporary wooden tower built for defensive purposes.

1. A neighbourhood in Plymouth, Devon, England (OS grid ref SX4854).
2. A neighbourhood and residential estate in the City of London, Greater London, England (OS grid ref TQ3281)

Etymology

From Old French barbacane, of uncertain origin: compare Arabic بَرْبَخ (barbaḵ, “aqueduct, sewer”), and Persian بابخانه (bâb-xâne, “gatehouse”).