portcullis
UK[pɔːtˈkʌlɪs]US[pɔːrtˈkʌlɪs]
n
a strong, heavy grating that can be lowered down grooves at the entrance to a castle or fortress to defend it.
Morpheme Breakdown
port
cullis
port
gate
cullis
sliding groove
Etymology
the word 'portcullis' is a direct borrowing from middle english 'portcolys', which itself came from old french 'porte coleice', literally meaning 'sliding gate'. the first element, 'port', derives from the latin 'porta' for 'gate'. the second element, 'cullis', originates from the latin verb 'colāre', meaning 'to strain or filter', which evolved in old french to refer to the vertical grooves or channels that the heavy grating slides within. thus, the term's literal construction perfectly describes its function: a defensive gate designed to slide down within grooves to block a castle entrance.
Analysis
Structure: port (gate) + cullis (sliding groove)
port (from old french 'porte', meaning 'gate', from latin 'porta', meaning 'gate, entrance'); cullis (from old french 'coleice', meaning 'sliding groove', from latin 'colāre', meaning 'to strain, filter', referring to the grooves the grating slides in).
Examples
the guards quickly lowered the iron portcullis as the enemy army approached.
visitors can still see the original portcullis and its mechanism in the castle gatehouse.
a portcullis was an effective defensive measure, as it could be dropped suddenly to trap attackers.