berme

Noun

berm (plural berms)

1. A narrow ledge or shelf, as along the top or bottom of a slope.
2. A raised bank or path, especially the bank of a canal opposite the towpath.
   • The big canals in Europe, in Holland, have a great big berm on the side of the canal several feet wide, which they leave there on purpose to plant reeds in, so as to get a reedy vegetation to protect their slope. Then, beyond that, there is an earthen slope that is grassed and sodded.1910 February 23, U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture, Protection of Watersheds of Navigable Streams, page 139

   Synonyms:

   heelpath

3. (Australia) One of the flat terraces on the slope of an open-pit mine.

   Synonyms:

   bench, bench floor

4. A terrace or shelf of sand along a beach, formed above the high tide water level by wave action.
   • On some beaches, the berm grows higher in summer and flattens out in the rougher winter seas.
5. A long mound or bank of earth, used especially as a barrier or to provide insulation.
   • A berm separates the Moroccan-controlled and Polisario-controlled parts of Western Sahara.
6. (Canada, US) A small wall along the edge of a bench of an open-pit mine, intended to prevent items falling over the crest.

   Synonyms:

   windrow

See all 10 meanings of berm