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backshore

 - 6 dictionary results

back⋅shore

  [bak-shawr, -shohr]
Use backshore in a Sentence
–noun Geology.
1. the zone of the shore or beach above the high-water line, acted upon only by severe storms or exceptionally high tides.
2. the area immediately adjacent to a sea cliff.
3. berm (def. 3).
Origin:
1915–20; back 1 + shore 1

berm

  [burm]
–noun
1. Also, berme. Fortification. a horizontal surface between the exterior slope of a rampart and the moat.
2. Also called bench. any level strip of ground at the summit or sides, or along the base, of a slope.
3. Also called backshore, beach berm. a nearly flat back portion of a beach, formed of material deposited by the action of the waves.
4. Chiefly Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. the bank of a canal or the shoulder of a road.
5. Chiefly Alaska. a mound of snow or dirt, as formed when clearing land.
6. a bank of earth placed against an exterior wall or walls of a house or other building as protection against extremes of temperature.
–verb (used with object)
7. to cover or protect with a berm: The side walls were bermed to a height of three feet.
Origin:
1720–30; < F berme < D berm; akin to brim 1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To backshore
back·shore   (bāk'shôr', -shōr')   
n.  The area of shore lying between the average high-tide mark and the vegetation, affected by waves only during severe storms.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

berm 
1729, from Fr. berme, from O.Du. baerm, related to brim (q.v.). In U.S., 19c., "the bank of a canal opposite the tow path."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Science Dictionary
backshore   (bāk'shôr')  Pronunciation Key 
The area of a shore that lies between the average high tide mark and the vegetation. The backshore is affected by waves only during severe storms. Compare foreshore.
berm   (bûrm)  Pronunciation Key 

  1. A nearly horizontal or landward-sloping portion of a beach formed by the deposition of sediment by storm waves. A beach may have no berm at all, or it may have more than one berm.

  2. A narrow man-made ledge or shelf, as along the top or bottom of a slope.


The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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