1. portcullis - Noun
2. portcullis - Verb
A grating of iron or of timbers pointed with iron, hung over the gateway of a fortress, to be let down to prevent the entrance of an enemy.
An English coin of the reign of Elizabeth, struck for the use of the East India Company; -- so called from its bearing the figure of a portcullis on the reverse.
To obstruct with, or as with, a portcullis; to shut; to bar.
Source: Webster's dictionaryEffectively a portcullis has slammed down between the individual and their godhead. ‘You can't approach your godhead except through us now. We are the only path. Our church is the only path.' But that is every human being's birthright, to have ingress to their godhead. Alan Moore
The food in the House of Commons is fairly good. The cafe in Portcullis House is really very high quality, and you also have a choice of eating in the more traditional restaurants, the Churchill Room or the Members' Dining Room. I don't often eat in them, though, as I'm usually on the run. Vince Cable
Of course, Portcullis House would be dwarfed by structures outside Scotland. Source: Internet
He thought he heard a clattering from the gates, but Gar’s chamber was on the far side of the keep from the main portcullis and the wind rose and fell, bringing only snatches of sound to his ears. Source: Internet
The portcullis probably first came to be associated with the Palace of Westminster through its use as decoration in the rebuilding of the Palace after the fire of 1512. Source: Internet
The sepulchral chambers are separated by a short passage, and are cut off from the gallery by stone doors made of a single slab which can be moved up and down by levers, like a portcullis. Source: Internet