A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (i.e., a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at intervals to allow for the launch of arrows or other projectiles. This fortification feature (battlements) is often called crenellations because the tops of the parapets are crenellated. The spaces in the parapet wall are called crenels or embrasures. The uprights in the parapet wall are called merlons. parapet | ˈperəpət noun a low protective wall along the edge of a roof, bridge, or balcony. crenellate | ˈkrenəˌlāt | (also crenelate) verb [with object] (usually as adjective crenellated) chiefly historical to provide (a wall of a building) with battlements.
