Dictionary

fortification en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˌfɔː(ɹ)tɪfəˈkeɪʃən/
• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˌfɔː(ɹ)tɪfɪˈkeɪʃən/

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French fortification, from Late Latin fortificatio, fortificationem, from fortifico, from Latin fortis. By surface analysis, fort + -ification.

Meanings

1. (countable, uncountable) The act of fortifying; the art or science of fortifying places to strengthen defence against an enemy.
   • Premier Raymond Poincaré, ever an arch militarist, took full advantage of last week’s war scare in the Belgian Parliament to trumpet through the inspired Parisian press that France must drastically increase her armaments. While this propaganda was at its height, he announced to the Chamber that the first important measure to be presented by the Cabinet during the present session (TIME, Nov. 22 et seq.) will be a bill appropriating several billion francs for armaments and fortification of the Franco-German and Franco-Italian frontiers. 1927 February 28, “FRANCE: Poincaré’s Week”, in TIME, archived from the original on 29 Apr 2025:
2. (countable, uncountable) That which fortifies; especially, a work or works erected to defend a place against attack; a fortified place; a fortress; a fort; a castle.
   • “[…] We are engaged in a great work, a treatise on our river fortifications, perhaps? But since when did army officers afford the luxury of amanuenses in this simple republic?[…]” 1910, Emerson Hough, chapter I, in The Purchase Price: Or The Cause of Compromise, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:
   • Kenett states that the military works still known by the name of Tadmarten Camp and Hook-Norton Barrow were cast up at this time ; the former, large and round, is judged to be a fortification of the Danes, and the latter, being smaller and rather a quinquangle than a square, of the Saxons. 1881, John Kirby Hedges, The history of Wallingford, volume 1, page 170:
   • As Edwin Clark [...] wrote in 1850: "[...] The lofty towers of the castle overhang the western approach to the Bridge, and the line passes into Conway through an opening pierced in the embattled wall, which entirely surrounds the town. These fortifications are in good preservation, and rank among the most perfect examples of the strongholds of the 13th century." 2022 January 12, Dr. Joseph Brennan, “Castles: ruined and redeemed by rail”, in RAIL, number 948, page 54:
3. (countable, uncountable) An increase in effectiveness, as by adding ingredients.
   • Compare the nutrition information label of a regular ready-to-eat fortified cereal with that of a presweetened brand and you'll note that, although the sweetened one's sugar content is higher, the fortification is virtually identical. 1979 July, Kiplinger's Personal Finance, volume 33, number 7, page 47:
4. (countable, uncountable) A jagged pattern sometimes seen during an attack of migraine.

Forms

Deriveds

postfortification · fortification curtain · nonfortification · biofortification · refortification · overfortification

Relateds

fortify

Synonyms

bastion

Translations (81)

sv befästningskonst (the act of fortifying) · mk утврду́вање (the act of fortifying) · ta அரண் (that which fortifies) · de Festungsbau (the act of fortifying) · fi linnoittaminen (the act of fortifying) · es fortificación (that which fortifies) · ms perkubuan (that which fortifies) · cmn 防禦工事 /防御工事 (that which fortifies) · ca fortificació (that which fortifies) · fr renforcement (that which fortifies) · pl umocnienie (the act of fortifying) · el οχύρωση (the act of fortifying) · bg усилване (the act of fortifying) · de Fort (that which fortifies) · la fortificātiō (the act of fortifying) · ru фортифика́ция (the act of fortifying) · mk у́тврда (the act of fortifying) · fa استحکامات (that which fortifies) · cmn 防禦工事 /防御工事 (the act of fortifying) · nrf fortificâtion (the act of fortifying) · nn festningsanlegg (that which fortifies) · gl fortificación (the act of fortifying) · bg укрепване (the act of fortifying) · eo fortikado (the act of fortifying) · ru укрепле́ния (that which fortifies) · gl fortificación (that which fortifies) · ar مَعْقِل (that which fortifies) · ro fortăreață (that which fortifies) · sv befästning (the act of fortifying) · fr fortification (the act of fortifying) · pl umocnienie (that which fortifies) · it fortificazione (the act of fortifying) · fr fortification (that which fortifies) · mk утврду́вања (that which fortifies) · hy ամրություն (that which fortifies) · cmn 堡壘 /堡垒 (that which fortifies) · de Befestigung (that which fortifies) · ro fortificare (the act of fortifying) · ota حصار (that which fortifies) · ru укрепле́ние (the act of fortifying) · el οχύρωμα (that which fortifies) · sv befästning (that which fortifies) · ang fæsten (that which fortifies) · eo fortikaĵo (that which fortifies) · mi pare (that which fortifies) · grc ὀχύρωσις (the act of fortifying) · nrf fortificâtion (that which fortifies) · cs pevnost (that which fortifies) · es fortificación (the act of fortifying) · it fortificazione (that which fortifies) · ms pengubuan (the act of fortifying) · mi tūwatawata (that which fortifies) · pt fortificação (the act of fortifying) · pt fortificação (that which fortifies) · grc τεῖχος (that which fortifies) · la mūnītiō (that which fortifies) · ta மதில் (that which fortifies) · pl fortyfikacja (the act of fortifying) · grc ὀχύρωμα (that which fortifies) · cmn 工事 (that which fortifies) · hi क़िलाबंदी (the act of fortifying) · la mūnītiō (the act of fortifying) · de Befestigen (the act of fortifying) · cmn 工事 (the act of fortifying) · nl vesting (that which fortifies) · fr renforcement (the act of fortifying) · de Festung (that which fortifies) · ta கோட்டை (that which fortifies) · sv fortifikation (that which fortifies) · egy i-m-im-Dr:r-O36 (that which fortifies) · nb festningsanlegg (that which fortifies) · az istehkam (that which fortifies) · bg укрепления (that which fortifies) · pl fortyfikacja (that which fortifies) · fi linnoitus (that which fortifies) · cs opevnění (that which fortifies) · ro fortificație (that which fortifies) · la mūnīmentum (that which fortifies) · mi papare (that which fortifies) · fi linnoite (that which fortifies) · tr tahkimat (that which fortifies)