单词 | escarpment |
释义 | escarpment (once / 10172 pages) n You are standing at the foot of a cliff. You look up at the steep, sharp wall of rock above you and realize you are seeing an escarpment. At this moment, you can truly appreciate the power of natural erosion. The history of the word escarpment can be found in the Italian scarpa and the French verb escarper, meaning "to make into a steep slope." This became the noun referring to a natural cliff, usually found where the land forms shift from highlands to a low plateau, with the sharp slope of an escarpment dividing the two landscapes. The word was also applied to a non-natural protective barrier usually built up in front of castles or forts. WORD FAMILYescarpment: escarpments USAGE EXAMPLESAnother memory: A ladder leans against the escarpment. Washington Post(Nov 10, 2016) The mining craze has left an ineradicable mark, with one escarpment after another clawed by greed. The New Yorker(Nov 06, 2016) It sits at the foot of an escarpment of lumpy, sage-covered moraines, which rise toward lava-rock peaks and dark patches of conifers. The New Yorker(Sep 03, 2016) 1n a long steep slope or cliff at the edge of a plateau or ridge; usually formed by erosion Syn|Hyper scarp incline, side, slope an elevated geological formation 2n a steep artificial slope in front of a fortification Syn|Hyper escarp, protective embankment, scarp fortification, munition defensive structure consisting of walls or mounds built around a stronghold to strengthen it |
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