barbican

noun

1. A tower at the entrance to a castle or fortified town.

   “Near-synonym: guardhouse”

   “The stone part of the drawbridge with its barbican and the bartizans of the gatehouse are in good repair. […] There was a large hidden trapdoor in the floor of the barbican, which would let them into the moat after all.”

2. A fortress at the end of a bridge.
3. An opening in the wall of a fortress through which the guns are levelled; a narrow loophole through which arrows and other missiles may be shot.

   “Two shafts of soft daylight fell across the flagged floor from the high barbacans.”

4. A temporary wooden tower built for defensive purposes.

name

1. A neighbourhood in Plymouth, Devon, England (OS grid ref SX4854).
2. A neighbourhood and residential estate in the City of London, Greater London, England (OS grid ref TQ3281)