Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - rampart

 noun  Etymology: Middle French, from ramparer to fortify, from re- + emparer to defend, from Old Occitan emparar, from Vulgar Latin *imparare, from Latin in- 2in- + parare to prepare — more at pare  Date: 1536  1. a protective barrier ; bulwark  2. a broad embankment raised as a fortification and usually surmounted by a parapet  3. a wall-like ridge (as of rock fragments, earth, or debris)