WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
def•i•lade
(def′ə lād′),USA pronunciation n., v., -lad•ed, -lad•ing.
n.
v.t.
n.
- protection or shielding from hostile ground observation and flat projecting fire provided by an artificial or natural obstacle, as a hill.
v.t.
- to shield from enemy fire by using natural or artificial obstacles.
- French défil(er), origin, originally to unthread (equivalent. to dé- dis-1 + (en)filer to thread
Latin fīlum thread) + French -ade -ade1 - 1820–30
'defilade' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):