Origin of the word
The word barricade derives from the French term ‘barrique’ (barrel), and refers to any object that creates an obstacle or barrier to block, control or redirect the flow of traffic. Barricade is also used in military parlance where it refers to an improvised field fortification. Traffic barricades, usually made from large slabs of cement, are often used as temporary structures to stop admittance to protected or hazardous areas.
Example
“It just is a reflection of the extreme weakness of the prime minister’s position that she doesn’t seem prepared to do it. It’s a bit like a school where discipline has broken down completely, the headteacher is barricaded in her own office, unwilling to impose discipline.” ― The Guardian, Monday 18th September 2017: Vince Cable likens May to headteacher ‘barricaded in her office’.
“This barricade is made neither of paving stones, nor of timbers, nor of iron; it is made of two mounds, a mound of ideas and a mound of sorrows. Here misery encounters the ideal. Here the day embraces the night, and says: I will die with you and you will be born again with me.” ― Victor Hugo, Les Misérables.
Definition
1: a temporary structure that is built across a road, gate, or door to prevent people from getting through
2: used for talking about a situation in which people use determined methods to protest about something or achieve something they believe in
View the full definition in the Macmillan Dictionary.
