gabion

A worker fills a gabion with stones along the riverbank.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A cylindrical basket or container: A "gabion" is a wicker or wire basket filled with earth or stones, used in engineering and military fortifications, especially for building revetments or retaining walls.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The engineers placed gabions along the riverbank to prevent erosion. (Cylindrical wire baskets filled with stones used as a retaining structure.)
  • During the siege, soldiers stacked gabions to create a defensive wall. (Wicker baskets filled with earth used for fortification.)

Advanced Usage

• "Gabion wall": a structure made of stacked gabions, often used for slope stabilization or flood control.
  • The new gabion wall along the highway prevents landslides after heavy rain. (A retaining wall constructed from wire baskets filled with rocks.)

Variants and Related Words

• Gabionade (n): a structure or defense made of gabions.

  • The military constructed a gabionade around the camp for protection. (A defensive line of gabions.)

• Gabionage (n): the use or arrangement of gabions in construction.

  • The gabionage of the embankment took several days to complete. (The process of placing gabions.)

Synonyms

• Basket: a container woven from flexible materials.
• Crate: a rigid container, often wooden or metal.

Related Idioms