What does redoubt mean?
A redoubt is a fortified defensive position, usually a temporary earthwork or small fortification established to protect troops, weapons, or strategically important ground. Unlike a large, permanent fortress, a redoubt was often rapidly constructed and could be isolated within a larger defensive line. Military histories use the word particularly for detached works associated with sieges or campaigns; redoubts played a significant role in the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. In figurative and literary contexts, the word describes a secure refuge or an institution that shelters something valuable from outside threats. The expression “a redoubt of learning,” for example, presents a library or academy as a protected center of scholarship. Redoubt is pronounced with stress on the second syllable and belongs to a formal register, making it more evocative and specialized than the general word “fort.”
nounA fortified defensive position, especially a temporary earthwork or small fortification used to protect troops or important ground. By extension, it can mean a secure refuge or place of defense.
- A temporary fortified position or defensive work, especially an earthwork or small fortification.
- A secure refuge, stronghold, or place of defense, especially in figurative or literary use.
"The soldiers held the redoubt until dusk, firing from its earthen walls."
"During the siege, the defenders withdrew to a redoubt on the northern ridge."
"In that turbulent decade, the library remained a redoubt of learning."
Used when referring to multiple fortified positions, defensive works, or figurative strongholds.
"Several redoubts were constructed along the road."
At Waterloo in 1815, redoubts formed part of the fortified landscape in which Napoleon’s final campaign was fought.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does redoubt come from?
The English word entered from French redoute in the early 17th century. French redoute developed from Medieval Latin reducta, a feminine noun formed from reductus, the past participle of Latin reducere, “to lead back” (re- plus ducere). The same Latin root underlies English words such as reduce and reduction.
Related word forms
How redoubt is actually used
The word is formal and chiefly associated with military history, fortification, and battlefield description. Its figurative use is literary and conveys the idea of an exceptionally secure refuge or defended position.