In fortification, an advanced ditch without the counterscarp, and stretching along the foot of the glacis.
·noun A ditch or moat. II. Fosse ·noun ·see <<Fossa>>. ...
Webster's Dictionary of the English Language
[Ital.] Synonymous with moat or ditch. ...
The Sailor's Word-Book
·noun The front of an army. [Obs.] ·see <<Van>>. ...
·noun A person dispatched before another person or company, to give notice of his or their approach....
·noun The van or advanced body of an army. ·see <<Vanguard>>. ...