definitions
  • synonyms

hanging wall

|

noun

Mining. the underside of the wall rock overlying a vein or bed of ore.Compare footwall(def 1).
Geology. a mass of rock overhanging a fault plane.

RELATED CONTENT

fall of the Berlin WallRead more in this article about some frequently asked questions and fun facts related to our definitions.
READ MORE
8 Quotes From Beloved Children’s Author Roald DahlRead more in this article about some frequently asked questions and fun facts related to our definitions.
READ MORE

Nearby words

hanging post, hanging scroll, hanging step, hanging stile, hanging valley, hanging wall, hangingfly, hangingly, hangman, hangman's fracture, hangman's knot

Origin of hanging wall

First recorded in 1770–80
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for hanging wall

  • The two fault faces are known as the “hanging-wall” and the “foot-wall.”

    Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 2|Various

British Dictionary definitions for hanging wall

hanging wall

noun

the rocks on the upper side of an inclined fault plane or mineral veinCompare footwall
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

Science definitions for hanging wall

hanging wall

The block of rock lying above an inclined geologic fault plane. See more at fault. Compare footwall.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.