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glacis

 - 3 dictionary results

gla⋅cis

  [gley-sis, glas-is]
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–noun, plural gla⋅cis  [gley-seez, -siz, glas-eez, -iz] , gla⋅cis⋅es.
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.
Origin:
1665–75; < MF; akin to OF glacier to slide; cf. L glaciāre to make into ice; see glacé
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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gla·cis   (glā-sē', glās'ē, glā'sĭs)   
n.   pl. glacis

    1. A gentle slope; an incline.

    2. A slope extending down from a fortification.

  2. A neutral area separating conflicting forces.


[French, from Old French, from glacer, to slide, from glace, ice, from Vulgar Latin *glacia, from Latin glaciēs; see gel- in Indo-European roots.]
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

glacis 
"sloping bank" (especially leading up to a fortification), 1672, from Fr. glacir "to freeze, make slippery," from O.Fr. glacier "to slip," from L. glaciare "to make or turn into ice," from glacies (see glacial).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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