Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

berm

/bɜː(ɹ)m/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 2.40 in modern English

Syllables
berm
IPA
/bɜː(ɹ)m/
8
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
1
Syllables
4
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A narrow ledge or shelf, as along the top or bottom of a slope.

noun

A raised bank or path, especially the bank of a canal opposite the towpath.

noun

One of the flat terraces on the slope of an open-pit mine.

Australian usage

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.

noun

A strip of land between a street and sidewalk.

New Zealand usage

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Dutch berm (“strip of roadside grass, verge”), probably via French berme, from Middle Dutch barm, baerm, barem (“verge, bank”), from Old Dutch *barm, from Proto-West Germanic *barm, from Proto-Germanic *barmaz (“edge, border, seam”).

Origin

Word Breakdown

Usage

Inflected Forms

Phrases

Frequently Paired Words

batter bench face

Synonyms

heelpath bench bench floor windrow berm besidewalk boulevard boulevard strip city easement common county strip curb lawn

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce berm?
The recorded pronunciation is /bɜː(ɹ)m/.
What does berm mean?
A narrow ledge or shelf, as along the top or bottom of a slope.
Where does berm come from?
It is traced to Dutch.

How to pronounce berm

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “berm”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/bɜː(ɹ)m/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “berm”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “berm” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.