| siege | | |
| n. (act) | 1. beleaguering, besieging, military blockade, siege | the action of an armed force that surrounds a fortified place and isolates it while continuing to attack. |
| ~ blockade, encirclement | a war measure that isolates some area of importance to the enemy. |
| ~ alamo | a siege and massacre at a mission in San Antonio in 1836; Mexican forces under Santa Anna besieged and massacred American rebels who were fighting to make Texas independent of Mexico. |
| ~ battle of atlanta, atlanta | a siege in which Federal troops under Sherman cut off the railroads supplying the city and then burned it; 1864. |
| ~ bataan, corregidor | the peninsula and island in the Philippines where Japanese forces besieged American forces in World War II; United States forces surrendered in 1942 and recaptured the area in 1945. |
| ~ dien bien phu | the French military base fell after a siege by Vietnam troops that lasted 56 days; ended the involvement of France in Indochina in 1954. |
| ~ lucknow | the British residents of Lucknow were besieged by Indian insurgents during the Indian Mutiny (1857). |
| ~ siege of orleans, orleans | a long siege of Orleans by the English was relieved by Joan of Arc in 1429. |
| ~ petersburg campaign, petersburg | the final campaign of the American Civil War (1864-65); Union forces under Grant besieged and finally defeated Confederate forces under Lee. |
| ~ pleven, plevna | the town was taken from the Turks by the Russians in 1877 after a siege of 143 days. |
| ~ siege of syracuse, syracuse | the Athenian siege of Syracuse (415-413 BC) was eventually won by Syracuse. |
| ~ siege of syracuse, syracuse | the Roman siege of Syracuse (214-212 BC) was eventually won by the Romans who sacked the city (killing Archimedes). |
| ~ siege of vicksburg, vicksburg | a decisive battle in the American Civil War (1863); after being besieged for nearly seven weeks the Confederates surrendered. |
| ~ siege of yorktown, yorktown | in 1781 the British under Cornwallis surrendered after a siege of three weeks by American and French troops; the surrender ended the American Revolution. |
| ~ armed forces, armed services, military, military machine, war machine | the military forces of a nation.; "their military is the largest in the region"; "the military machine is the same one we faced in 1991 but now it is weaker" |
| coil | | |
| n. (artifact) | 1. coil, helix, spiral, volute, whorl | a structure consisting of something wound in a continuous series of loops.; "a coil of rope" |
| ~ hank | a coil of rope or wool or yarn. |
| ~ structure, construction | a thing constructed; a complex entity constructed of many parts.; "the structure consisted of a series of arches"; "she wore her hair in an amazing construction of whirls and ribbons" |
| n. (shape) | 2. coil, curl, curlicue, gyre, ringlet, roll, scroll, whorl | a round shape formed by a series of concentric circles (as formed by leaves or flower petals). |
| ~ corolla | (botany) the whorl of petals of a flower that collectively form an inner floral envelope or layer of the perianth.; "we cultivate the flower for its corolla" |
| ~ calyx | (botany) the whorl of sepals of a flower collectively forming the outer floral envelope or layer of the perianth enclosing and supporting the developing bud; usually green. |
| ~ round shape | a shape that is curved and without sharp angles. |
| ~ verticil | a whorl of leaves growing around a stem. |
| n. (artifact) | 3. coil | a transformer that supplies high voltage to spark plugs in a gasoline engine. |
| ~ transformer | an electrical device by which alternating current of one voltage is changed to another voltage. |
| n. (artifact) | 4. coil | a contraceptive device placed inside a woman's womb. |
| ~ birth control device, contraceptive, contraceptive device, prophylactic device, preventative, preventive | an agent or device intended to prevent conception. |
| n. (artifact) | 5. coil | tubing that is wound in a spiral. |
| ~ condenser | a hollow coil that condenses by abstracting heat. |
| ~ tube, tubing | conduit consisting of a long hollow object (usually cylindrical) used to hold and conduct objects or liquids or gases. |
| n. (artifact) | 6. coil | reactor consisting of a spiral of insulated wire that introduces inductance into a circuit. |
| ~ armature | coil in which voltage is induced by motion through a magnetic field. |
| ~ astatic coils | an arrangement of coils used in sensitive electrical instruments; the coils are arranged to give zero resultant external magnetic field when a current passes through them and to have zero electromotive force induced in them by an external magnetic field. |
| ~ choke, choke coil, choking coil | a coil of low resistance and high inductance used in electrical circuits to pass direct current and attenuate alternating current. |
| ~ field coil, field winding | the electric coil around a field magnet that produces the magneto motive force to set up the flux in an electric machine. |
| ~ induction coil | a coil for producing a high voltage from a low-voltage source. |
| ~ primary coil, primary winding, primary | coil forming the part of an electrical circuit such that changing current in it induces a current in a neighboring circuit.; "current through the primary coil induces current in the secondary coil" |
| ~ reactor | an electrical device used to introduce reactance into a circuit. |
| ~ read/write head, head | (computer science) a tiny electromagnetic coil and metal pole used to write and read magnetic patterns on a disk. |
| ~ secondary coil, secondary winding, secondary | coil such that current is induced in it by passing a current through the primary coil. |
| ~ solenoid | a coil of wire around an iron core; becomes a magnet when current passes through the coil. |
| ~ tickler coil | a small coil in series with the anode of a vacuum tube and coupled to the grid to provide feedback. |
| v. (motion) | 7. coil, gyrate, spiral | to wind or move in a spiral course.; "the muscles and nerves of his fine drawn body were coiling for action"; "black smoke coiling up into the sky"; "the young people gyrated on the dance floor" |
| ~ turn | change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense.; "Turn towards me"; "The mugger turned and fled before I could see his face"; "She turned from herself and learned to listen to others' needs" |
| v. (creation) | 8. coil, hand-build, handbuild | make without a potter's wheel.; "This famous potter hand-builds all of her vessels" |
| ~ shape, mould, mold, form, forge, work | make something, usually for a specific function.; "She molded the rice balls carefully"; "Form cylinders from the dough"; "shape a figure"; "Work the metal into a sword" |
| v. (contact) | 9. coil, curl, loop | wind around something in coils or loops. |
| ~ twine, wrap, wind, roll | arrange or or coil around.; "roll your hair around your finger"; "Twine the thread around the spool"; "She wrapped her arms around the child" |
| encircle | | |
| v. (contact) | 1. circle, encircle | form a circle around.; "encircle the errors" |
| ~ shape, form | give shape or form to.; "shape the dough"; "form the young child's character" |
| v. (contact) | 2. encircle, gird | bind with something round or circular. |
| ~ hoop | bind or fasten with a hoop.; "hoop vats" |
| ~ bind | make fast; tie or secure, with or as if with a rope.; "The Chinese would bind the feet of their women" |
| surround | | |
| n. (location) | 1. environment, environs, surround, surroundings | the area in which something exists or lives.; "the country--the flat agricultural surround" |
| ~ ambiance, ambience | the atmosphere of an environment. |
| ~ medium | the surrounding environment.; "fish require an aqueous medium" |
| ~ setting, scene | the context and environment in which something is set.; "the perfect setting for a ghost story" |
| ~ element | the most favorable environment for a plant or animal.; "water is the element of fishes" |
| ~ geographic area, geographic region, geographical area, geographical region | a demarcated area of the Earth. |
| ~ habitat, home ground | the type of environment in which an organism or group normally lives or occurs.; "a marine habitat"; "he felt safe on his home grounds" |
| ~ melting pot | an environment in which many ideas and races are socially assimilated. |
| ~ parts | the local environment.; "he hasn't been seen around these parts in years" |
| v. (contact) | 2. border, environ, ring, skirt, surround | extend on all sides of simultaneously; encircle.; "The forest surrounds my property" |
| ~ adjoin, contact, touch, meet | be in direct physical contact with; make contact.; "The two buildings touch"; "Their hands touched"; "The wire must not contact the metal cover"; "The surfaces contact at this point" |
| ~ fringe | decorate with or as if with a surrounding fringe.; "fur fringed the hem of the dress" |
| ~ gird, girdle | put a girdle on or around.; "gird your loins" |
| ~ cloister | surround with a cloister.; "cloister the garden" |
| ~ inclose, shut in, close in, enclose | surround completely.; "Darkness enclosed him"; "They closed in the porch with a fence" |
| ~ hem in | surround in a restrictive manner.; "The building was hemmed in by flowers" |
| ~ cloister | surround with a cloister, as of a garden. |
| v. (contact) | 3. smother, surround | envelop completely.; "smother the meat in gravy" |
| ~ cover | provide with a covering or cause to be covered.; "cover her face with a handkerchief"; "cover the child with a blanket"; "cover the grave with flowers" |
| v. (competition) | 4. beleaguer, besiege, circumvent, hem in, surround | surround so as to force to give up.; "The Turks besieged Vienna" |
| ~ attack, assail | launch an attack or assault on; begin hostilities or start warfare with.; "Hitler attacked Poland on September 1, 1939 and started World War II"; "Serbian forces assailed Bosnian towns all week" |
| ~ seal off, blockade | impose a blockade on. |
| ~ ebb | hem in fish with stakes and nets so as to prevent them from going back into the sea with the ebb. |
| v. (competition) | 5. fence, fence in, palisade, surround, wall | surround with a wall in order to fortify. |
| ~ protect | shield from danger, injury, destruction, or damage.; "Weatherbeater protects your roof from the rain" |
| ~ stockade | surround with a stockade in order to fortify. |
| ~ circumvallate | surround with or as if with a rampart or other fortification. |
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