glacis

American  

[gley-sis, glas-is] / ˈgleɪ sɪs, ˈglæs ɪs /

noun

plural

glacis, glacises

1. a gentle slope.

2. Fortification. a bank of earth in front of the counterscarp or covered way of a fort, having an easy slope toward the field or open country.

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glacis British  

/ ˈɡlæsɪs, ˈɡlæsɪ, ˈɡleɪ- /

noun

1. a slight incline; slope

2. an open slope in front of a fortified place

3. short for glacis plate

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Etymology

Origin of glacis

1665–75; < Middle French; akin to Old French glacier to slide; compare Latin glaciāre to make into ice; glacé

Example Sentences

This particular glacis was ground, compacted limestone, which became very slick with moisture.

From Washington Times • Jun. 7, 2015

On another part of a wall, Cox was part of an excavation that uncovered a glacis, a defensive structure in early fortresses.

From Washington Times • Jun. 7, 2015

The cannons are aimed, for the moment, at cattle upon the glacis, and children batting at the sky with sticks.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson

On the north end of the town is a casemated fort, with four bastions, a ravelin, counterscarp, and a glacis built with quarried shell-stones, and constructed according to the rudiments of Marechal de Vauban.

From The Spaniards in Florida Comprising the notable settlement of the Huguenots in 1564, and the History and Antiquities of St. Augustine, Founded A.D. 1565 by Fairbanks, George R.

The major accompanied his involuntary guests as far as the edge of the glacis.

From The Dispatch-Riders The Adventures of Two British Motor-cyclists in the Great War by Westerman, Percy F. (Percy Francis)