head wall

noun

1. a cliff or steep slope rising at one end of a glaciated valley.

Word History and Origins

Origin of head wall¹

First recorded in 1640–1650 for an earlier sense “retaining wall built in front or on top of a structure”; current sense dates from 1790–1800

Example Sentences

It measures more than a mile and a half in diameter, while its head wall towers a sheer 3,600 feet.

From Project Gutenberg

They were thought to have worn back the head wall little by little, even as a waterfall causes the cliff under it to recede.

From Project Gutenberg

You were takin chances on the Swift Current head wall, the Ranger said.

From Project Gutenberg

The head wall of Huntington Ravine isnt a bad little climb, he said, though one of the side walls is better.

From Project Gutenberg

Just to the left, only a mile away, Tom, is the top of the Iceberg Lake head wall.

From Project Gutenberg