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footwall

[ foot-wawl ]
/ ˈfʊtˌwɔl /

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.

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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. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for footwall

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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.