head wall

noun

1. a cliff or steep slope rising at one end of a glaciated valley.

Word History and Origins

Origin of head wall¹

First recorded in 1640–1650 for an earlier sense “retaining wall built in front or on top of a structure”; current sense dates from 1790–1800

Example Sentences

“When we educate the public, they see what we’re doing with the plastic bags and the fishing line, you see the light bulb go on in their head,” Wall said.

From Washington Times

The giant drill restarted around 8 a.m. on the south side of the disassembly vault at South Lake Union, after an overnight stoppage at the concrete head wall Monday evening.

From Seattle Times

Bertha should reach the head wall of the cubelike retrieval vault by Monday night, then stop.

From Seattle Times

In many hospitals, adjacent rooms are “mirrored” because they share a head wall, the one behind the bed with all the equipment and attachments in it.

From New York Times

Nor could the head wall, the one with all the equipment, be designed entirely from scratch.

From New York Times