crémaillère

English

Etymology

Borrowed from French crémaillère.

Noun

crémaillère (plural crémaillères)

  1. An indented or zigzagging line of entrenchment used in fortification.

References

French

Alternative forms

  • cramaillère, cramaillier (archaic)

Etymology

From Old French cramail +‎ -ière, from Latin cramalius, cramalium, cramaculus, cramaculum (trammel), alteration of cremasculus, cremasculum (trammel), diminutive of cremaster from Ancient Greek κρεμαστήρ (kremastḗr).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /kʁe.ma.jɛʁ/
  • Audio:(file)
  • Audio (France (Vosges)):(file)

Noun

crémaillère f (plural crémaillères)

  1. trammel; a type of hook from which a cooking pot can be suspended over a hearth fire at different heights as needed for the right cooking temperature
  2. (rail transport) rack, rack-and-pinion
  3. (military) crémaillère (indented or zigzagging line of entrenchment used in fortification)
  4. ellipsis of pendaison de crémaillère; housewarming

Derived terms

Descendants

  • Catalan: cremallera
  • English: crémaillère
  • Portuguese: cremalheira
  • Spanish: cremallera

Further reading