poliorcetics en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˌpɒ-/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /ˌpəʊlɪɔːˈsɛtɪks/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /ˈpoʊ-/ (General-American)
- [-ɾɪks] (General-American)
- (Southern-England) audio
- /ˌpoʊliˌɔɹˈsɛtɪks/ (General-American)
Etymology
Partly: * borrowed from Late Latin poliorcetica (“siege engines”) + English -s (suffix forming pluralia tantum) (poliorcetica is derived from Koine Greek πολιορκητικά (poliorkētiká, “things related to sieges”), the neuter plural of πολιορκητικός (poliorkētikós, “relating to poliorcetics, poliorcetic”), from Ancient Greek πολῐορκέω (polĭorkéō, “to besiege, blockade”) (from πόλις (pólis, “city”) + ἕρκος (hérkos, “enclosure; fence”)) + -τῐκός (-tĭkós, suffix forming adjectives meaning ‘of or relating to’)); and * from poliorcetic (“relating to poliorcetics”) + -s (suffix forming pluralia tantum).
Meanings
-
(plural, plural-only) The art of siege warfare, namely, that of conducting or resisting a siege.
The grand battles of the Archaic and early Classical periods were replaced by the new art of poliorcetics.
1992, Lars Karlsson, Fortification Towers and Masonry Techniques in the Hegemony of Syracuse, 405–211 B.C. (Skrifter Utgivna av Svenska Institutet i Rom [Publications of the Swedish Institute in Rome]; 49), Stockholm: Svenska Institutet i Rom [Swedish Institute in Rome], →ISBN, →ISSN, page 11, column 1:
Relateds
Synonyms
Translations (8)
de Belagerungskunst (art of siege warfare) · es poliorcética (art of siege warfare) · nl belegeringskunde (art of siege warfare) · pl nauka oblężenia (art of siege warfare) · fr poliorcétique (art of siege warfare) · fi piiritystaito (art of siege warfare) · it poliorcetica (art of siege warfare) · pt poliorcética (art of siege warfare)