crenellation

noun

cren·​el·​la·​tion ˌkre-nə-ˈlā-shən 

variants or less commonly crenelation

1

: battlement

2

: any of the embrasures alternating with merlons in a battlement see battlement illustration

Examples of crenellation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Each receptor, ingenious in its design, recognized some characteristic microbial or viral signature—a kink in a virus’s RNA, a crenellation in a microbial cell wall. —Dhruv Khullar, The New Yorker, 11 Aug. 2021

Word History

Etymology

crenellate "to furnish with crenellations" + -ation — more at crenellated

First Known Use

circa 1838, in the meaning defined at sense 2