What does "portcullis" mean?

A gate in the form of a grating which is lowered into place at the gateway of a castle, a fort, etc.

What is a synonym for "portcullis"?

Common synonyms include: abatis, backstop, bamboo curtain, bank, bar, barbican.

Pronounced //pɔɹtˈkʌl.ɪs//.

//pɔɹtˈkʌl.ɪs// noun, verb

noun, verb ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Noun

1
A gate in the form of a grating which is lowered into place at the gateway of a castle, a fort, etc.
2
gate consisting of an iron or wooden grating that hangs in the entry to a castle or fortified town; can be lowered to prevent passage wordnet
3
An old English coin from the reign of Elizabeth I, minted for the use of the East India Company, and bearing the picture of a portcullis on the reverse. historical

Verb

1
To obstruct with, or as with, a portcullis; to shut; to bar. passive, usually
"[…]Within my mouth you haue engaold my tongue, / Doubly portculliſt with my teeth and lippes[…]"

"[…]Within my mouth you haue engaold my tongue, / Doubly portculliſt with my teeth and lippes[…]"

From Middle English portcolyse, from Old French porte colëice, from porte (“door”) + feminine of colëiz (“sliding”), ultimately from Latin colāre.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.