Definitions
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. In fortification, the exterior talus or slope of the ditch, or the talus that supports the earth of the covered way. It often signifies the whole covered way, with its parapet and glacis, as when it is said that the enemy have lodged themselves on the counterscarp.
Wiktionary
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. (Fort.) The exterior slope or wall of the ditch; -- sometimes, the whole covered way, beyond the ditch, with its parapet and glacis.
Examples
“The counterscarp is substantially built of plank, and spread with turf.”
“Why, the old Peer, pox of his tough constitution, (for that malady would have helped him on,) has made shift by fire and brimstone, and the devil knows what, to force the gout to quit the counterscarp of his stomach, just as it had collected all its strength, in order to storm the citadel of his heart.”
“We passed the demilune, we passed the culverin, bayoneting the artillerymen at their guns; we advanced across the two tremendous demilunes which flank the counterscarp, and prepared for the final spring upon the citadel.”
“I take advantage of this to sidle down the second counterscarp, but by the time the ditch is reached the lull reveals itself to be but the precursor of a storm.”
“Immediately within this a chasm gapes; its bottom is imperceptible, but the counterscarp slopes not too steeply to admit of a sliding descent if cautiously performed.”
“It is a little insignificant pettah, defended simply by a couple of gabions, a very ordinary counterscarp, and a bomb-proof embrasure.”
“We rambled for a while through the covered way, over the glacis and along the counterscarp, and listened to the guide as he detailed to us, in already accustomed words, how the siege had gone.”
“I would throw out the earth upon this hand towards the town for the scarp, — and on that hand towards the campaign for the counterscarp. —”
“The completion was no further off, than the very next morning; which was that of the storm of the counterscarp betwixt the Lower”
“There is a double ditch, or moat, the innermost part of which is 180 feet broad; there is a good counterscarp, and a covered way marked out with ravelins and tenailles, but they are not raised a second time after their first settling.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘counterscarp’.
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defense
shield, aegis, armor, cuirass, plastron, inured, reinforced, cataphract, proof, targus, buckler, shield bearer and 123 more...
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Ar!
ar, Ar, argon, are, area, arf, arc, ark, aardwolf, aardvark, aardcucumber, yardarm and 253 more...
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phrontistery - c
from phrontistery.info
caballine, cabas, cable, caboched, cabochon, caboose, cabotage, cabré, cabrie, cabriole, cabriolet, cacaesthesia and 1298 more...
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Clarissa, Or, The History of a Young ...
These words are from Samuel Richardson's novel Clarissa, Or, The History of a Young Lady, 1747-48
adumbrate, virago, varlet, rencounter, akimbo, palliate, amanuensis, amok, equipage, cully, se'ennight, resentments and 560 more...
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Pale Fire
Words gathered while reading Pale Fire.
larches, torquate, stillicide, vermiculate, preterist, theolatry, iridule, vulgarian, cloutish, lemniscate, torsion, trillium and 176 more...
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Castles and Keeps
Shamelessly ripped off from this site and others (to be named hereinafter). (Fair warning: for my own edification, I may add definitions/comments from the site, but you might want to just go there ...
abutment, adulterine, allure, angle-spur, apse, arbalest, arbalestier, arbalist, arcade, arch, armoury, arrow slit and 410 more...
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the Island of the Day Before
phoebus, promontory, succor, indite, sickle, cerulean, tenebrous, specter, bastion, clemency, miasma, nocturlabe and 112 more...
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Wordie/Wordnik Curio Cabinet
Oddments culled from my "main" lists that belong in a display cabinet of their own, plus sundry other curiosities. :-)
zeugma, ziggurat, xiphoid, xeric, whizgigging, whangdoodle, viviparous, vivific, vinolent, verjuice, vellicate, velleity and 1193 more...
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Just 'cause I like 'em, C
cryptoxanthin, convent, calcar, chuckle, campanile, covet, complexion, campestral, chirography, counterscarp, caliginous, catabolism and 722 more...
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Fortification
bastion, ravelin, demilune, scarp, counterscarp, covert way, salient, hornwork, crownwork, citadel, merlon, embrasure and 15 more...
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word set11
slipstreaming, derailleur, sapwood, obovate, wickerwork, rupestrine, orthographical, fructified, dynamometer, stolidity, shadow puppeting, hyperpolyglot and 63 more...
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mgoormastic's list
Interesting words used in The Three Musketeers by Dumas.
baldric, auberge, mercer, calotte, apologue, parblue, ma foi, mordieu, ventrebleu, capon, diffident, ingenuous and 58 more...
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Lowry
nutant, meed, donga, mephitic, punk, caliginous, cauchemar, horripilation, hyacinthine, corposant, counterscarp, garboon and 65 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for counterscarp.
chained_bear Outer slope of a defensive ditch. Aug 24, 2008
yarb ...she had disappeared amid the scaffolding--the scaffold--as if it might once have been the glacis of the fort itself, down from the forgotten counterscarp of a dream.
- Malcolm Lowry, October Ferry to Gabriola Jul 30, 2008
minerva Why, the old peer, pox of his tough constitution! (for that would have helped him on,) has made shift by fire and brimstone, and the devil knows what, to force the gout to quit the counterscarp of his stomach, just as it had collected all its strength in order to storm the citadel of his heart.
Lovelace to Belford, Clarissa by Samuel Richardson Jan 4, 2008