Glossary entry (derived from question below)
English term or phrase:
protective graff
French translation:
fossé défensif / douves défensives
Added to glossary by
B D Finch
Nov 16, 2018 11:10
5 yrs ago
English term
France
Aeronautics, Defense, UN
Native in: French (Variant: Swiss) 
Works in: English to French, Spanish to French
protective graff
English to French
Tech/Engineering
Construction / Civil Engineering
Protection works against floods
Voici le contexte :
C'est un texte qui raconte une partie de l'histoire du château médiéval de Trakai, dans la région de Vilnius en Lithuanie, château niché sur une île au milieu d'un lac.
Voici la phrase :
"A protective graff was dug-out from the side of the city".
Le terme "graff" se retrouve un peu plus loin, dans la phrase : "there were three separate islands, and the castle was situated on the two of them, split by a water graff".
J'ai pensé à un "fossé" ou à une "digue", pourtant ce sont deux choses différentes.
Merci par avance pour vos lumières.
C'est un texte qui raconte une partie de l'histoire du château médiéval de Trakai, dans la région de Vilnius en Lithuanie, château niché sur une île au milieu d'un lac.
Voici la phrase :
"A protective graff was dug-out from the side of the city".
Le terme "graff" se retrouve un peu plus loin, dans la phrase : "there were three separate islands, and the castle was situated on the two of them, split by a water graff".
J'ai pensé à un "fossé" ou à une "digue", pourtant ce sont deux choses différentes.
Merci par avance pour vos lumières.
Proposed translations
(French)
| 4 | fossé défensif |
B D Finch
|
Change log
Nov 18, 2018 10:23: B D Finch Created KOG entry
Proposed translations
55 mins
Selected
fossé défensif
According to Merriam Webster, "graff" is an archaic term for a moat. The word doesn't appear at all in Collins Unabridged Dictionary, which indicates that it's probably been dredged up from the past by a non-native speaker of English. One would generally refer to a moat as "defensive", rather than "protective"
Nice castle!
"When the castle was undergoing this expansion in the 15th century, the water level of Lake Galvė was several metres higher than it is today. The castle builders took advantage of this by separating the Ducal Palace and the forecastle with a moat, just wide enough for small boats to sail through. They were connected by gates that could be raised in case of an enemy attack. "
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trakai_Island_Castle
mediolanum-santonum.fr/double-fosse-defensif.html
Un double fossé défensif a été pour la première fois mis au jour à Saintes en 2004 lors d'un diagnostic archéologique sur le site de Saint-Rémy ...
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Note added at 57 mins (2018-11-16 12:07:16 GMT)
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The phrase "dug-out from the side of the city" is a bit odd and "dug out" shouldn't be hyphenated if it's a verb.
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Note added at 1 hr (2018-11-16 12:17:41 GMT)
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Encyclopaedia Londinensis, John Wilkes, pub. 1810
"GRAFF, s. A ditch; a moat.—Though the fortifications were not regular, yet the walls were good, and the graff broad and deep."
https://bit.ly/2Bc3p8L
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Note added at 1 hr (2018-11-16 12:19:12 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Note that it seems that it was unnecessary to preface "graff" with "water".
Nice castle!
"When the castle was undergoing this expansion in the 15th century, the water level of Lake Galvė was several metres higher than it is today. The castle builders took advantage of this by separating the Ducal Palace and the forecastle with a moat, just wide enough for small boats to sail through. They were connected by gates that could be raised in case of an enemy attack. "
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trakai_Island_Castle
mediolanum-santonum.fr/double-fosse-defensif.html
Un double fossé défensif a été pour la première fois mis au jour à Saintes en 2004 lors d'un diagnostic archéologique sur le site de Saint-Rémy ...
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 57 mins (2018-11-16 12:07:16 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
The phrase "dug-out from the side of the city" is a bit odd and "dug out" shouldn't be hyphenated if it's a verb.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2018-11-16 12:17:41 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Encyclopaedia Londinensis, John Wilkes, pub. 1810
"GRAFF, s. A ditch; a moat.—Though the fortifications were not regular, yet the walls were good, and the graff broad and deep."
https://bit.ly/2Bc3p8L
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2018-11-16 12:19:12 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Note that it seems that it was unnecessary to preface "graff" with "water".
Note from asker:
| Thank you very much ! |
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thank you very much !"
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