Meaning
A cylindrical basket or cage of wicker which was filled with earth or stones and used in fortifications and other engineering work (a precursor to the sandbag).
Etymology
Origin: Latin
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ḱewh₁- Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Indo-European *-ós Proto-Indo-European *-ós Proto-Indo-European *ḱowh₁ós? Proto-Italic *kawos Latin cavus Proto-Indo-European *-éyos Proto-Italic *-ejos Proto-Italic *-eos Latin -eus Latin *caveus Latin cavea Italian gabbia Proto-Indo-European *-ōder. Proto-Indo-European *-Hōder.? Latin -ōnem Italian -one Italian gabbionebor. English gabion Borrowed from Italian gabbione, augmentative of gabbia (“cage”), itself from Latin cavea (whence also English cage, jail and cajole — the two latter via Latin caveola), from Latin cavus (whence also English cave).
NYT Puzzle Appearances
No published puzzle dates on file for this word yet. It is part of the official NYT Spelling Bee word list for 2023, 2026.