berm
/bɜː(ɹ)m/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: 2.40 in modern English
8
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
1
Syllables
4
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A terrace or shelf of sand along a beach, formed above the high tide water level by wave action.
noun
A long mound or bank of earth, used especially as a barrier or to provide insulation.
noun
A small wall along the edge of a bench of an open-pit mine, intended to prevent items falling over the crest.
Canadian usage; American usage
noun
A ledge between the parapet and the moat in a fortification.
Example Sentences
- "The big canals in Europe, in Holland, have a great big berm on the side of the canal several feet wide, which they leave there on purpose to plant reeds in, so as to get a reedy vegetation to protect their slope. Then, beyond that, there is an earthen slope that is grassed and sodded."
- "On some beaches, the berm grows higher in summer and flattens out in the rougher winter seas."
- "A berm separates the Moroccan-controlled and Polisario-controlled parts of Western Sahara."
- "The sun soaked our street in hot yellow, and the berms were gasping for water."
Etymology
Origin
Word Breakdown
Usage
- Australian usage
- Canadian usage
- American usage
- New Zealand usage
Inflected Forms
Phrases
Frequently Paired Words
batter
bench face