crenel

[ kren-l ]
/ ˈkrɛn l /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR crenel ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

any of the open spaces between the merlons of a battlement.
a crenature.

verb (used with object), cren·eled, cren·el·ing or (especially British) cren·elled, cren·el·ling.

to crenelate.
Also cre·nelle [kri-nel] /krɪˈnɛl/.

Origin of crenel

1475–85; earlier creneul, crennel < Middle French, Old French, apparently diminutive of cren notch (attested since the 15th century), Old French cran, of uncertain origin; cf. crenate, cranny

Words nearby crenel

cremorne bolt, crena, crenate, crenation, crenature, crenel, crenelate, crenelated, crenellate, crenellated, crenocyte

Words related to crenel

incision, indentation, impression, sink, cut, cavity, scratch, pit, hollow, crater, nick, score, trough, dimple, dint, notch, dip, furrow, scallop, embrasure

Example sentences from the Web for crenel

  • And, turning aside, she motioned Gonzaga to the crenel she abandoned.

    Love-at-Arms |Raphael Sabatini

  • Leaning into a crenel between two square merlons, Simon took a deep breath of the mild spring air.

    The Saracen: Land of the Infidel |Robert Shea

British Dictionary definitions for crenel

crenel

crenelle (krɪˈnɛl)

/ (ˈkrɛnəl) /

noun

any of a set of openings formed in the top of a wall or parapet and having slanting sides, as in a battlement
another name for crenation

Word Origin for crenel

C15: from Old French, literally: a little notch, from cren notch, from Late Latin crēna