footwall

[ foot-wawl ]

/ ˈfʊtˌwɔl /

Save This Word!

noun

Mining. the top of the rock stratum underlying a vein or bed of ore.Compare hanging wall (def. 1).

Geology. a mass of rock lying beneath a fault plane.

COMPARE MEANINGS

Click for a side-by-side comparison of meanings. Use the word comparison feature to learn the differences between similar and commonly confused words.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of footwall

First recorded in 1640–50; foot + wall

Words nearby footwall

footstool, foot the bill, foot-ton, foot traffic, foot valve, footwall, foot warmer, footway, footwear, footwell, footwork

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use footwall in a sentence

But the hardest rock of the hanging or footwall, however, is seldom as hard as the harder class of ore.
De Re Metallica|Georgius Agricola
To these timbers are fixed small timbers along the footwall, to which are fastened the lagging and ladders.
De Re Metallica|Georgius Agricola
Stringers are given the same characteristics as veins, but divided into hanging, footwall, and other varieties.
De Re Metallica|Georgius Agricola
The ratio of ore area to total explored area, measured in the plane of the footwall, was 21-½ per cent.
The Economic Aspect of Geology|C. K. Leith

The total area of ore measured on the footwall was 785 acres.
The Economic Aspect of Geology|C. K. Leith

British Dictionary definitions for footwall

footwall

/ (ˈfʊtˌwɔːl) /

noun

the rocks on the lower side of an inclined fault plane or mineral veinCompare hanging wall

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

Scientific definitions for footwall

footwall

[ fut′wôl′ ]

The block of rock lying under an inclined geologic fault plane. See more at fault. Compare hanging wall.