1 escarpment | Definition of escarpment

escarpment

noun
es·​carp·​ment | \ i-ˈskärp-mÉ™nt How to pronounce escarpment (audio) \

Definition of escarpment

1 : a steep slope in front of a fortification
2 : a long cliff or steep slope separating two comparatively level or more gently sloping surfaces and resulting from erosion or faulting

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Synonyms for escarpment

Synonyms

barranca (also barranco), bluff, cliff, crag, palisade, precipice, scar, scarp

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Examples of escarpment in a Sentence

the castle sits atop an escarpment that for hundreds of years made it virtually invulnerable to attack

Recent Examples on the Web

On the jagged cliffs below the Mogollon Rim, dozens of springs dispense water that filters through the porous limestone escarpments. Mare Czinar, azcentral, "Forest hike near Payson leads to a shady tangle of springs," 26 July 2019 Here, on the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe, the Zambezi River plunges off a high escarpment, tumbling some 350 feet into a narrow chasm and creating a mile-wide veil of mist and rushing water shot through with rainbows. National Geographic, "Africa by Private Jet," 12 June 2019 Explore the 1,100 piney acres of Wildcat Hills State Recreation Area and Nature Center, spread across a rocky escarpment within a region of rising canyons and forested buttes. Laura Kiniry, Smithsonian, "The 20 Best Small Towns To Visit in 2018," 5 June 2018 Researchers figured that out by taking a closer look at two S. ensidens fossils that were unearthed from a Wyoming escarpment in 1871. Katie Langin, Science | AAAS, "A four-eyed lizard walked the earth 49 million years ago," 2 Apr. 2018 According to police, Sarah and Jennifer Hart were driving along a coastal strip of highway in Northern California when their car went off an escarpment, dropping 100 feet to the ground. Britni Danielle, Essence.com, "Devonte Hart, Boy From Viral Protest Photo, Told Neighbor He Was Being Starved To Death," 30 Mar. 2018 The scientists estimated water coursed over the escarpment through Noto Canyon, flowing at up to 160 kilometers per hour and spilling over a 1.5-kilometer-high waterfall into the Mediterranean’s briny eastern basin. Katherine Kornei, Scientific American, "A Megaflood-Powered Mile-High Waterfall Refilled the Mediterranean [Video]," 26 Mar. 2018 On the jagged cliffs below the Mogollon Rim, dozens of springs dispense water that filters through the porous limestone escarpments. Mare Czinar, azcentral, "Forest hike near Payson leads to a shady tangle of springs," 26 July 2019 Now, she is immortalized in the rocks of Mercury, a crater with a giant rift escarpment running straight across it. Kim Stanley Robinson, National Geographic, "Dear MESSENGER: How unmasking Mercury brought art to life," 22 Mar. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'escarpment.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of escarpment

circa 1802, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for escarpment

French escarpement, from escarper to scarp, from Middle French, from escarpe scarp, from Old Italian scarpa — more at scarp

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More Definitions for escarpment

escarpment

noun

English Language Learners Definition of escarpment

: a long cliff or steep slope that separates two flat or slightly sloped areas

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