Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary · 1913

Ravelin

Ravelin (rav"lin; 277) , noun

[French; compare Sp. rebellin, Italian revellino, rivellino; perhaps from Latin re- again + vallum wall.]

(Fortification) A detached work with two embankments which make a salient angle. It is raised before the curtain on the counterscarp of the place. Formerly called demilune and half-moon.