US /ˈgleɪsəs/ UK /ˈɡleɪsɪs/
noun name Freq #400242

Meanings

  1. 1
    noun

    A gentle, gradual slope.

    The castle was built above a long grassy glacis that gave the defenders a clear view.

Etymology

Borrowed from French glacis (“slippery surface”), derived from Old French glacier (“to glide; freeze”), the former from Latin glaciāre (“to freeze”), from glaciēs (“ice”), of uncertain origin. Cognates * Medieval Latin glatia (“incline in front of a fortification”)

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