FASCINE

FAS'CINE, noun [Latin fascis, a bundle.] In fortification, a fagot, a bundle of rods or small sticks of wood, bound at both ends and in the middle; used in raising batteries, in filling ditches, in strengthening ramparts, and making parapets. Sometimes being dipped in melted pitch or tar, they are used to set fire to the enemy's lodgments or other works.