glacis

[ gley-sis, glas-is ]

/ ˈgleɪ sɪs, ˈglæs ɪs /

noun, plural gla·cis [gley-seez, -siz, glas-eez, -iz] /ˈgleɪ siz, -sɪz, ˈglæs iz, -ɪz/, gla·cis·es.

a gentle slope.

Fortification. a bank of earth in front of the counterscarp or covered way of a fort, having an easy slope toward the field or open country.

Nearby words

glacier national park, glacier peak, glacier table, glaciologist, glaciology, glacis, glacis plate, glackens, glacé, glad, glad eye

Origin of glacis

1665–75; < Middle French; akin to Old French glacier to slide; compare Latin glaciāre to make into ice; see glacé

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

Examples from the Web for glacis

Covered Way, road formed on the counterscarp and protected by the relief of the glacis (see p. 308).
Annals of a Fortress|E. Viollet-le-Duc
On the north and east are bastions with a very slight projection, a glacis, and ravelin.
Tent Work in Palestine|Claude Reignier Conder
She leaped on the parapet and the next second was on the glacis.
Greenmantle|John Buchan
They climbed the steep slope to the top of the glacis, and then ran down until they were brought to a standstill by another moat.
Won by the Sword|G.A. Henty

But a certain number of those glorious dead remained lying on the glacis or in the ditches of the place.
The British Expedition to the Crimea|William Howard Russell

British Dictionary definitions for glacis

glacis

/ (ˈɡlæsɪs, ˈɡlæsɪ, ˈɡleɪ-) /

noun plural -ises or -is (-iːz, -ɪz)

a slight incline; slope

an open slope in front of a fortified place

short for glacis plate

Word Origin for glacis

C17: from French, from Old French glacier to freeze, slip, from Latin glaciāre, from glaciēs ice

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