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wall

1. A work or structure of stone, brick, or other materials, raised to some height, and intended for defense or security, solid and permanent inclosing fence, as around a field, a park, a town, etc, also, one of the upright inclosing parts of a building or a room. The plaster of the wall of the King's palace. (dan. V. 5)

2. A defense; a rampart; a means of protection; in the plural, fortifications, in general; works for defense. The waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left. (Ex. Xiv. 22) In such a night, troilus, methinks, mounted the Troyan walls. (Shak) To rush undaunted to defend the walls. (Dryden)

3. An inclosing part of a receptacle or vessel; as, the walls of a steam-engine cylinder.

4. (Science: chemical) The side of a level or drift. The country rock bounding a vein laterally. (Raymond)

Wall is often used adjectively, and also in the formation of compounds, usually of obvious signification; as in wall paper, or wall-paper; wall fruit, or wall-fruit; wallflower, etc. Blank wall, blind wall, etc. See Blank, Blind, etc. To drive to the wall, to bring to extremities; to push to extremes; to get the advantage of, or mastery over. To go to the wall, to be hard pressed or driven; to be the weaker party; to be pushed to extremes. To take the wall. To take the inner side of a walk, that is, the side next the wall; hence, to take the precedence. I wi 620 ll take the wall of any man or maid of Montague's. .

(Science: botany) Wall barley, a common European solitary wasp (Odynerus parietus) which makes its nest in the crevices of walls.

Origin: AS. Weall, from L. Vallum a wall, vallus a stake, pale, palisade; akin to Gr. A nail. Cf. Interval.