escarp

[ ih-skahrp ]

/ ɪˈskɑrp /

noun

Fortification. the inner slope or wall of the ditch surrounding a rampart.

any similar steep slope.

verb (used with object)

to make into an escarp; give a steep slope to; furnish with escarps.

Nearby words

Origin of escarp

1680–90; < French, Middle French escarpe < Italian scarpa < Germanic; see scarp

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for escarp

The escarp of Lunette 53 was successfully breached by this method.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 6|Various
The ditch has escarp and counterscarp, and is defended by counterscarp galleries at the angles.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 6|Various
The fire of the savages had no effect, the balls being buried in the earth of the escarp, or falling spent within the fort.
The Story of Old Fort Loudon|Charles Egbert Craddock
Its principal use is to secure the escarp as long as possible.
The Sailor's Word-Book|William Henry Smyth

There is no escarp, the natural slope of the rampart being carried down to the bottom of the ditch.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 6|Various

British Dictionary definitions for escarp

escarp

/ (ɪˈskɑːp) /

noun

fortifications the inner side of the ditch separating besiegers and besiegedCompare counterscarp

verb

a rare word for scarp (def. 3)

Word Origin for escarp

C17: from French escarpe; see scarp

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for escarp

escarp

"steep slope," 1680s, from French escarpe (16c.), from Italian scarpa (see scarp).