gabion
noun
ga·bi·on ˈgā-bē-ən 
ˈga-
ˈga- : a basket or cage filled with earth or rocks and used especially in building a support or abutment
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web The park has gabion baskets — cage-like structures filled with rocks — down by the beach to prevent erosion, but those are failing. 
Emma Keith, Detroit Free Press, 11 Sep. 2019 Some of the debris includes rocks, trees, and gabions, which are wire cages filled with rocks for engineering purposes. Laura Bednar, cleveland.com, 24 Aug. 2019 The fence line to the yard is clearly custom-made — a pattern of gabion and sculpted iron. Amy Pennington, The Seattle Times, 19 May 2019 Architects have responded with design changes, such as minimizing wood on the exterior, eliminating crawl spaces and using los of stones and gabion walls in landscaping. Nancy Keates, WSJ, 19 Sep. 2018 To separate the outdoor courtyard from the parking area, the architects created a gabion wall — a fence-like steel cage filled with broken bricks and planted with vines. Tim Mckeough, New York Times, 19 Dec. 2017 The bags are placed into steel mesh boxes called gabion baskets. Drew Broach, NOLA.com, 28 Aug. 2017 Hunky architectural elements — like gabion walls, and a trellis with heavy posts and beam — draw the eye while creating shelter and privacy. Valerie Easton, The Seattle Times, 19 July 2017 See More
Emma Keith, Detroit Free Press, 11 Sep. 2019 Some of the debris includes rocks, trees, and gabions, which are wire cages filled with rocks for engineering purposes. Laura Bednar, cleveland.com, 24 Aug. 2019 The fence line to the yard is clearly custom-made — a pattern of gabion and sculpted iron. Amy Pennington, The Seattle Times, 19 May 2019 Architects have responded with design changes, such as minimizing wood on the exterior, eliminating crawl spaces and using los of stones and gabion walls in landscaping. Nancy Keates, WSJ, 19 Sep. 2018 To separate the outdoor courtyard from the parking area, the architects created a gabion wall — a fence-like steel cage filled with broken bricks and planted with vines. Tim Mckeough, New York Times, 19 Dec. 2017 The bags are placed into steel mesh boxes called gabion baskets. Drew Broach, NOLA.com, 28 Aug. 2017 Hunky architectural elements — like gabion walls, and a trellis with heavy posts and beam — draw the eye while creating shelter and privacy. Valerie Easton, The Seattle Times, 19 July 2017 See More Word History
Etymology
borrowed from Middle French, borrowed from Italian gabbione, from gabbia "cage" (going back to Latin cavea) + -one, augmentative suffix (going back to Latin -ō, -ōn-, suffix of nouns denoting persons with a prominent feature) — more at cage entry 1
First Known Use
1544, in the meaning defined above