rip-rap
noun
civil engineering broken stones loosely deposited in water or on a soft bottom to provide a foundation and protect a riverbed or river banks from scour: used for revetments, embankments, breakwaters, etc
Nearby words
rip off, rip on, rip up, rip van winkle, rip-off, rip-rap, rip-roaring, rip-saw, rip-tide, riparian, riparian right
Word Origin for rip-rap
C19: reduplication of rap 1
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
Examples from the Web for rip-rap
When the shield had traveled 25 ft. through the rip-rap, the piles which support the bulkhead were met.
Want to rip-rap the outer edge of this water hole, so the bank will not cave in and undo all our work!
The Pony Rider Boys in New Mexico|Frank Gee PatchinThe heavy masonry bulkhead was supported on piles and rip-rap, as shown in Fig. 18.
Word Origin and History for rip-rap
rip-rap
also riprap, "loose stone thrown down in water or soft ground as foundation," 1822, American English, perhaps connected with earlier nautical word rip-rap meaning "stretch of rippling water" (often caused by underwater elevations), 1660s, probably of imitative origin (cf. riprap "a sharp blow," 1570s).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper