1.
[syn: cheval-de-frise, chevaux-de-frise]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Cheval-de-frise \Che*val"-de-frise"\, n.; commonly used in the
pl. Chevaux-de-frise. [F.; cheval horse + Frise Friesland,
where it was first used.] (Mil.)
A piece of timber or an iron barrel traversed with
iron-pointed spikes or spears, five or six feet long, used to
defend a passage, stop a breach, or impede the advance of
cavalry, etc.
[1913 Webster]
Obstructions of chain, boom, and cheval-de-frise. --W.
Irving.
[1913 Webster]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
chevaux-de-frise
n 1: defensive structure consisting of a movable obstacle
composed of barbed wire or spikes attached to a wooden
frame; used to obstruct cavalry [syn: cheval-de-frise,
chevaux-de-frise]