, in Fortification, a beam armed with iron spikes, having their points turned outward. It is supported in the middle by a stake, having a pivot on which it turns; and serves as a barrier to block up a passage.—Herissons are frequently placed before gates, especially the posterns of a town or sortress, to secure those passages which must of necessity be often opened.
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Entry taken from A Mathematical and Philosophical Dictionary, by Charles Hutton, 1796.
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