glacis

[gley-sis, glas-is]

noun

plural

glacis, glacises 

1. a gentle slope.

2. 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.

glacis

/ ˈɡlæsɪs, ˈɡlæsɪ, ˈɡleɪ- /

noun

1. a slight incline; slope

2. an open slope in front of a fortified place

3. short for glacis plate

Word History and Origins

Origin of glacis¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of glacis¹

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