Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. An earthen embankment, especially one used as a fortification. See Synonyms at bulwark.
- n. Engineering Excavation and embankment of earth.
- n. A work of art made by altering an area of land or a natural geographic feature, especially on a large scale.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. In engineering, any operation in which earth is removed or thrown up, as in cuttings, embankments, etc.
- n. In fortification, any offensive or defensive construction formed chiefly of earth: commonly in the plural.
- n. Any similar construction, as the ancient mounds of earth found in various parts of the United States, of unknown use and origin. They differ widely in form, but are always well defined in plan, and sometimes inclose large areas.
Wiktionary
- n. Any structure made from earth; especially an embankment or rampart used as a fortification
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. Any construction, whether a temporary breastwork or permanent fortification, for attack or defense, the material of which is chiefly earth.
- n. The operation connected with excavations and embankments of earth in preparing foundations of buildings, in constructing canals, railroads, etc.
- n. An embankment or construction made of earth.
WordNet 3.0
- n. an earthen rampart
Examples
“Within the earthwork is a barn that was once the Decorated church of St. Martin.”
Wanderings in Wessex An Exploration of the Southern Realm from Itchen to Otter
“Behind the earthwork was a small fire, and he knew that men would be sitting about it.”
“A peculiar kind of earthwork has the outline of gigantic men or animals.”
“Assistant Secretary Owen said the latest estimates are that 35,000 civilians were able to flee the area Monday when government forces used explosives to create a gap in an "earthwork" wall a few miles long constructed by the Tigers using mechanical diggers.”
“Such is the foundation for arguing against any conservation of the earthwork, and allowing it to emerge and submerge with the tides.”
The Huffington Post: Rebecca Taylor: Spiral Jetty: A Monument to Paradox & Transience
“At best, Arthur had an earthwork fort and a small band of warriors around him.”
“The picture above appears to be a rugged bit of coast—and recalls Robert Smithson's famous earthwork sculpture 'Spiral Jetty'—until one realizes that it's only a discarded tire, half-buried at San Francisco's Ocean Beach.”
“Overlooking Hollybush to the north is a huge prehistoric earthwork, no doubt associated with the more complex one on the Herefordshire Beacon, but largely enclosed by thick, hanging woods.”
“We would do volume calculations on the earthwork, and using the 286, one calculation was probably 30 to 45 minutes.”
My speech to the Saskatchewan Land Surveyors Association AGM
“CIVIL WAR FORTS, David Lowe of the National Park Service discusses Civil War-era earthwork forts, their construction and his classification system. 2 p.m.,”
The Washington Post: Prince William County community calendar, Oct. 14-21, 2010
Lists
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yarb Love the sound of Wordnet's "earthen rampart". Oct 31, 2008