different between barrage vs assail

English

Etymology

Borrowed from French barrage (“barrage, barrier”). Compare barrier.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?bæ????/
• (US) IPA^(key): /b??????/

Noun

barrage (plural barrages)

1. An artificial obstruction, such as a dam, in a river designed to increase its depth or to divert its flow.

   Hyponym: dam

2. (military) A heavy curtain of artillery fire directed in front of one's own troops to screen and protect them.
   • 2014, Edward G. Lengel, A Companion to the Meuse-Argonne Campaign, John Wiley & Sons (?ISBN), page 350:

     The 75s of V Corps fired a standard rolling barrage, while the larger 155 mm and 8-inch pieces fired standing barrages 500 meters beyond the barrage line. For the rolling barrage, one battery in each battalion fired low, bursting shrapnel instead of the standard high explosive.

3. A concentrated discharge of projectile weapons.
4. (by extension) An overwhelming outburst of words, especially of criticism.
5. (fencing) A "next hit wins" contest to determine the winner of a bout in case of a tie.
6. Type of firework containing a mixture of firework types in one single-ignition package.

Derived terms

• barrage balloon
• barrage jamming
• rolling barrage

Translations

Verb

barrage (third-person singular simple present barrages, present participle barraging, simple past and past participle barraged)

1. (transitive) To direct a barrage at.

   Synonym: bombard

Further reading

• barrage (dam) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• barrage (artillery) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

French

Etymology

barrer +? -age

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ba.?a?/, /b?.?a?/

Noun

barrage m (plural barrages)

1. dam, barrage
2. barrier, roadblock

Derived terms

• faire barrage à

Further reading

• “barrage” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Anagrams

• bagarre, bagarré

English

Etymology

From Middle English assailen, from Old French asaillir, from Latin assili?, from ad (“towards”) + sali? (“to jump”). See also assault.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??se?l/
• Rhymes: -e?l

Verb

assail (third-person singular simple present assails, present participle assailing, simple past and past participle assailed)

1. (transitive) To attack with harsh words or violent force (also figuratively).
   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, London: William Ponsonby, Book 1, Canto 6, pp. 76-77,^[1]

     With greedy force he gan the fort assayle,

     Whereof he weend possesse soone to bee,

     And win rich spoile of ransackt chastitee.

   • c. 1600, William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act I, Scene 1,^[2]

     […] let us once again assail your ears,

     That are so fortified against our story,

     What we two nights have seen.

   • 1897, Saki, “The Story-teller” in Beasts and Super-beasts, London: John Lane, 1914, p. 238,^[3]

     “ […] for the next six months or so those children will assail her in public with demands for an improper story!”

   • 1942, Zora Neale Hurston, Dust Tracks on a Road, New York: Arno Press and The New York Times, 1969, Chapter 14, p. 258,^[4]

     We got married immediately after I finished my work […] which should have been the happiest day of my life. […] ¶ But, it was not my happiest day. I was assailed by doubts.

   • 2007, Ng?g? wa Thiong’o, Wizard of the Crow, Nairobo: East African Educational Publishers, Book 2, Chapter 3, p. 64,^[5]

     He did not like being in crowds, foul smells galore assailing his nostrils.

Related terms

• assailable
• assailant
• assailer
• assailment
• assault
• reassail
• unassailed

Translations

Anagrams

• Alissa