the.com/portcullis
a medieval iron guillotine that drops to turn a doorway into a death sentence
means A heavy latticed grille of wood or iron that slides vertically in grooves to seal off a castle gateway.
from From Old French 'porte coleïce' — 'porte' (door, gate) plus 'coleïce' (sliding, gliding), itself from Latin 'colare,' to flow or strain. So at root it means simply 'the sliding gate': named not for menace but for its smooth, fatal downward glide.
- latin roots
- name means sliding door, from porta colatia
- two for one
- castles often had two, to trap invaders between
- murder holes
- ceilings above let defenders pour fire down
- still standing
- Westminster's portcullis is Parliament's official emblem
- oak and iron
- wood-and-metal grilles resisted both axes and battering
for instance
tower of london portcullis — iron grille gate at the tower of london, built in the 11th century, still operational today
windsor castle portcullis — historic portcullis at windsor castle, england's royal residence since 1066