noun · verb · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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Received-Pronunciation:/fəˈsiːn/
Received-Pronunciation:/fæ-/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
General-American:/fəˈsin/
New-Zealand:/fɛˈsiːn/
rhymes with -iːn
1
noun
Meaning 1
Originally a cylindrical bundle of small sticks of wood, and now often a bundle of plastic pipes, bound together, and used for strengthening purposes, such as in revetments for riverbanks, and in mats for dams, jetties, etc.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: business, construction, manufacturing
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
A similar bundle of sticks of wood or plastic pipes used for filling in ditches for armoured fighting vehicles to drive over, and for making parapets, raising batteries, and strengthening ramparts.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: specifically
Topics: fortification, fortifications, government, military, politics, war
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
Something which is used for defensive purposes.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: figuratively, rare
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
verb
Meaning 4
To use fascines to build or reinforce (something), or to fill in (a trench, etc.).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: New-Zealand, transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
The noun is borrowed from French fascine (“bundle of kindling; bundle of branches used to build defences, fill in ditches, etc.; logs arranged horizontally between piles on the banks of a watercourse as an erosion barrier”), from Old French faissine, from Latin fascīna (“bundle of sticks”), from fascis (“bundle of sticks, faggot, fascine; bundle, package; burden, load”) (ultimately from a late or pseudo-Proto-Indo-European root noun *bhask- (“band; bundle”), actually originating from a substrate language or as an eastern Mediterranean Wanderwort) + -īna (the nominative, vocative, or ablative feminine singular of -īnus (suffix forming nouns)). The verb is derived from the noun.
Across languages
Translations
19 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Bulgarian:
фашина
(fašina)
— cylindrical bundle of small sticks of wood bound together, used for strengthening purposes; (military fortification) similar bundle of sticks of wood or plastic pipes used for filling in ditches for armoured fighting vehicles to drive over, and for making parapets, raising batteries, and strengthening ramparts
Danish:
faskine
— cylindrical bundle of small sticks of wood bound together, used for strengthening purposes; (military fortification) similar bundle of sticks of wood or plastic pipes used for filling in ditches for armoured fighting vehicles to drive over, and for making parapets, raising batteries, and strengthening ramparts
Estonian:
fašiin
— cylindrical bundle of small sticks of wood bound together, used for strengthening purposes; (military fortification) similar bundle of sticks of wood or plastic pipes used for filling in ditches for armoured fighting vehicles to drive over, and for making parapets, raising batteries, and strengthening ramparts
Estonian:
haos
— cylindrical bundle of small sticks of wood bound together, used for strengthening purposes; (military fortification) similar bundle of sticks of wood or plastic pipes used for filling in ditches for armoured fighting vehicles to drive over, and for making parapets, raising batteries, and strengthening ramparts
Finnish:
risunki
— cylindrical bundle of small sticks of wood bound together, used for strengthening purposes; (military fortification) similar bundle of sticks of wood or plastic pipes used for filling in ditches for armoured fighting vehicles to drive over, and for making parapets, raising batteries, and strengthening ramparts
French:
fascine
— cylindrical bundle of small sticks of wood bound together, used for strengthening purposes; (military fortification) similar bundle of sticks of wood or plastic pipes used for filling in ditches for armoured fighting vehicles to drive over, and for making parapets, raising batteries, and strengthening ramparts
German:
Faschine
— cylindrical bundle of small sticks of wood bound together, used for strengthening purposes; (military fortification) similar bundle of sticks of wood or plastic pipes used for filling in ditches for armoured fighting vehicles to drive over, and for making parapets, raising batteries, and strengthening ramparts
Ido:
fashino
— cylindrical bundle of small sticks of wood bound together, used for strengthening purposes; (military fortification) similar bundle of sticks of wood or plastic pipes used for filling in ditches for armoured fighting vehicles to drive over, and for making parapets, raising batteries, and strengthening ramparts
Japanese:
粗朶
(soda)
— cylindrical bundle of small sticks of wood bound together, used for strengthening purposes; (military fortification) similar bundle of sticks of wood or plastic pipes used for filling in ditches for armoured fighting vehicles to drive over, and for making parapets, raising batteries, and strengthening ramparts
Latin:
crātis
— cylindrical bundle of small sticks of wood bound together, used for strengthening purposes; (military fortification) similar bundle of sticks of wood or plastic pipes used for filling in ditches for armoured fighting vehicles to drive over, and for making parapets, raising batteries, and strengthening ramparts
Lithuanian:
fašina
— cylindrical bundle of small sticks of wood bound together, used for strengthening purposes; (military fortification) similar bundle of sticks of wood or plastic pipes used for filling in ditches for armoured fighting vehicles to drive over, and for making parapets, raising batteries, and strengthening ramparts
Luxembourgish:
Fäsch
— cylindrical bundle of small sticks of wood bound together, used for strengthening purposes; (military fortification) similar bundle of sticks of wood or plastic pipes used for filling in ditches for armoured fighting vehicles to drive over, and for making parapets, raising batteries, and strengthening ramparts
Norwegian Bokmål:
faskin
— cylindrical bundle of small sticks of wood bound together, used for strengthening purposes; (military fortification) similar bundle of sticks of wood or plastic pipes used for filling in ditches for armoured fighting vehicles to drive over, and for making parapets, raising batteries, and strengthening ramparts
Polish:
faszyna
— cylindrical bundle of small sticks of wood bound together, used for strengthening purposes; (military fortification) similar bundle of sticks of wood or plastic pipes used for filling in ditches for armoured fighting vehicles to drive over, and for making parapets, raising batteries, and strengthening ramparts
Romanian:
fâșie
— cylindrical bundle of small sticks of wood bound together, used for strengthening purposes; (military fortification) similar bundle of sticks of wood or plastic pipes used for filling in ditches for armoured fighting vehicles to drive over, and for making parapets, raising batteries, and strengthening ramparts
Russian:
фаши́на
(fašína)
— cylindrical bundle of small sticks of wood bound together, used for strengthening purposes; (military fortification) similar bundle of sticks of wood or plastic pipes used for filling in ditches for armoured fighting vehicles to drive over, and for making parapets, raising batteries, and strengthening ramparts
Spanish:
fajina
— cylindrical bundle of small sticks of wood bound together, used for strengthening purposes; (military fortification) similar bundle of sticks of wood or plastic pipes used for filling in ditches for armoured fighting vehicles to drive over, and for making parapets, raising batteries, and strengthening ramparts
Swedish:
faskin
— cylindrical bundle of small sticks of wood bound together, used for strengthening purposes; (military fortification) similar bundle of sticks of wood or plastic pipes used for filling in ditches for armoured fighting vehicles to drive over, and for making parapets, raising batteries, and strengthening ramparts
Ukrainian:
фаши́на
(fašýna)
— cylindrical bundle of small sticks of wood bound together, used for strengthening purposes; (military fortification) similar bundle of sticks of wood or plastic pipes used for filling in ditches for armoured fighting vehicles to drive over, and for making parapets, raising batteries, and strengthening ramparts
