Etymologically
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bulwark

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈbʊl.wək/ (UK); /ˈbʊl.wɚk/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English bulwerke,[2][3][4] borrowed from Middle Dutch bolwerc,[4][2][3][5] or Middle Low German bolwerk,[3] literally “plank work”, from Middle Dutch bolle (“plank, tree trunk”) + werc (“work”).[2][3][5][6] Etymonline traces bole to Proto-Germanic *bul- and the PIE root *bhel- “to blow, swell”.[5][4] It is a doublet of boulevard.[5][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

A substantial defensive work of earth or other material; a rampart or fortification (c1418).[7][5] Barnhart dates the form bulwerke to about 1416.[3]

Semantic evolution

The original bulwark was a construction of logs.[5] The figurative sense, “a powerful defence or safeguard”, sometimes applied to a person, is dated mid-15th century by Etymonline and 1577 by the OED and Barnhart.[5][7][3] Other concrete senses followed: a breakwater or sea wall (1555) and the raised sides of a ship above the deck (1804).[7]

Timeline

  • c1416 – bulwerke, a rampart or fortification.[3][7]
  • 1450 – verb, to throw up bulwarks.[7]
  • 1555 – a breakwater or sea wall.[7]
  • 1577 – a powerful defence or safeguard.[7][3]
  • 1610 – verb, to defend or protect.[7]
  • 1804 – the sides of a ship above the deck.[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A wall or embankment raised for defence; a rampart.
  2. Something that serves as a defence, safeguard or strong support.
  3. A breakwater or sea wall.
  4. (nautical) The side of a ship above the upper deck; usually used in the plural.

Verb

  1. To fortify with a wall or rampart.
  2. To defend or protect.
  • bole
  • work
  • rampart

Usage notes

The American Heritage Dictionary distinguishes bulwark from barricade, breastwork, earthwork, rampart, bastion and parapet.[4] A barricade is usually built hastily against an imminent threat, a breastwork is a low and often temporary wall, a rampart is the main permanent defensive wall, and a bastion is a projecting section of a fortification.[4] Bulwark, barricade, rampart and bastion are the ones most often used figuratively for a safeguard.[4]

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  4. ^ a b c d e f The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  6. ^ a b Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press