gabion

noun ga·bi·on \ ˈgā-bē-ən , ˈga- \

Definition of gabion

: a basket or cage filled with earth or rocks and used especially in building a support or abutment

Recent Examples of gabion from the Web

To separate the outdoor courtyard from the parking area, the architects created a gabion wall — a fence-like steel cage filled with broken bricks and planted with vines.

— tim mckeough, New York Times, "TriBeCa, by Way of Venice Beach," 19 Dec. 2017
The bags are placed into steel mesh boxes called gabion baskets.

— drew broach, NOLA.com, "Donald Trump to visit Louisiana on Saturday," 28 Aug. 2017
Hunky architectural elements — like gabion walls, and a trellis with heavy posts and beam — draw the eye while creating shelter and privacy.

— valerie easton, The Seattle Times, "What’s new, what’s next in Lorene Edwards Forkner’s garden," 19 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'gabion.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of gabion

borrowed from Middle French, borrowed from Italian gabbione, from gabbia "cage" (going back to Latin cavea) + -one, augmentative suffix (going back to Latin -ō, -ōn-, suffix of nouns denoting persons with a prominent feature) — more at ¹cage

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1573

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year