Dictionary
port•cul•lis
Pronunciation: (pôrt-kul'is, pōrt-), [key]—
n.
(esp. in medieval castles) a strong grating, as of iron, made to slide along vertical grooves at the sides of a gateway of a fortified place and let down to prevent passage.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.