gabion

  1. Noun.  a cylindrical basket or cage of wicker which was filled with earth or stones and used in fortifications and other engineering work (a precursor to the sandbag).
  2. Noun.  a woven wire mesh unit, sometimes rectangular, made from a continuous mesh panel and filled with stones sometimes coated with polyvinyl chloride .
  3. Noun.  a porous metal cylinder filled with stones and used in a variety of civil engineering contexts, especially in the construction of retaining walls, the reinforcing of steep slopes, or in the prevention of erosion in river banks.
  4. Noun.  a knickknack, objet d’art, curiosity, collectable.

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This entry was last updated on RefTopia from its source on 3/20/2012.