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berm

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berm

  [burm]
Use berm in a Sentence
–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.
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berm   (bûrm)   
n.  

    1. A narrow ledge or shelf, as along the top or bottom of a slope.

    2. Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, & West Virginia The shoulder of a road.

    3. A raised bank or path, especially the bank of a canal opposite the towpath.

  2. A nearly horizontal or landward-sloping portion of a beach, formed by the deposition of sediment by storm waves.

  3. A mound or bank of earth, used especially as a barrier or to provide insulation.

  4. The flat space between the edge of a ditch and the base of a fortification.

tr.v.   bermed, berm·ing, berms
To provide with a berm or berms.

[French berme, from Dutch berm, from Middle Dutch bærm, berme.]
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
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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Encyclopedia

berm

terrace of a beach that has formed in the backshore, above the water level at high tide. Berms are commonly found on beaches that have fairly coarse sand and are the result of the deposition of material by low-energy waves. They have a marked change of slope at their seaward edge and a flat or reverse-sloped platform that lies slightly higher than the mean high-water level. On broad beaches there may be three or more subparallel berms, each formed under different wave conditions. On some beaches a berm several metres wide may be laid down each summer and destroyed each winter by high storm waves

Learn more about berm with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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