"earthen elevation around a place for fortification," sometimes also including parapets, 1580s, from Middle French rempart, rampart, from remparer "to fortify," from re- "again" (see re-) + emparer "fortify, take possession of," from Old Provençal amparer, from Vulgar Latin *anteparare "prepare," properly "to make preparations beforehand," from Latin ante "before" (from PIE root *ant- "front, forehead," with derivatives meaning "in front of, before") + parare "prepare" (from PIE root *pere- (1) "to produce, procure"). With unetymological -t in French, perhaps by influence of boulevart (see boulevard).
