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berm

  (bûrm) pronunciation
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.
  1. A nearly horizontal or landward-sloping portion of a beach, formed by the deposition of sediment by storm waves.
  2. A mound or bank of earth, used especially as a barrier or to provide insulation.
  3. 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.]


 
 

A raised earthen shoulder constructed as a barrier to water runoff or to screen from view an unsightly area.Example: The berm shields the building from water runoff from the street during heavy rains.

 

[bǝrm]

n. 1. an artificial ridge or embankment, e.g., as a defense against tanks.

2. a narrow space, especially one between a ditch and the base of a parapet.

See the Introduction, Abbreviations and Pronunciation for further details.

 

A low embankment or ridge on a sand beach, constructed by swash or breaking waves.

 


1. A continuous bank of earth alongside a road; a shoulder.
2. A continuous bank of earth piled against a masonry wall.
3. A strip of ground, formed into a ledge to support beams or pipes.
4. The horizontal surface between a moat and the exterior slope of a fortified rampart. 5. In earth excavation work, that portion of the excavation, usually sloped, left at the perimeter and removed as the sheeting and bracing are installed.
6. A narrow terrace or shelf built into an embankment, or the like, which breaks the continuity of an otherwise long slope.


 

[Co]

A ledge or level space between a bank, and its accompanying ditch or scarp. Also a narrow space separating an inner bank and ditch from an outer bank.

 

A mound, small hill, or ridge of earth intended to provide screening or to direct water runoff. On small properties and especially in front gardens, a planted berm helps to create privacy.

 
Wikipedia: berm

A berm is a level space, shelf, or raised barrier separating two areas. Berm is a loanword from Dutch.[1]

History

In mediaeval military engineering, a berm (or berme) was a level space between a parapet or defensive wall and an adjacent steep-walled ditch or moat.[1] It was intended to reduce soil pressure on the walls of the excavated part to prevent its collapse. In the trench warfare of World War I, the name was applied to a similar feature at the lip of a trench, which served mainly as an elbow-rest for riflemen.

Modern usage

In modern military engineering, berm has come to mean the earthen or sod wall or parapet itself. The term especially refers to a low earthern wall adjacent to a ditch. The digging of the ditch (often by a bulldozer or combat engineering vehicle) can provide the soil from which the berm is constructed. Walls constructed in this manner are an effective obstacle to vehicles, including most armoured fighting vehicles, but are easily crossed by infantry. Because of the efficiency of construction, such walls can be made hundreds or thousands of kilometres long.

Berms are also used to control erosion and sedimentation by reducing the rate of Surface runoff. The berms either reduce the velocity of the water, or direct water to areas that are not susceptible to erosion, thereby reducing the adverse effects of running water on exposed top soil.

Uses in other applications

  • In modern highway construction, a berm is a noise barrier constructed of earth, often landscaped, running along a highway to protect adjacent land users from noise pollution.
  • In the natural building movement, berming refers to piling earth against an exterior wall to create thermal mass or reduce the visible footprint of an earth-sheltered home.
  • In archeology, a berm is a narrow space, such as that between banks and ditches. It can also refer to a raised linear bank separating two areas.
  • In corners on Motocross tracks. A 30cm (1') high wall of dirt around the outside of the corner allows riders to enter faster and exit with a 'sling-shot' like effect, which results in maintaining higher speeds.
  • Regionally (especially Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, and West Virginia) the word "berm" refers to the shoulder of a highway.
  • In some regions a berm refers to a strip of grass that is located between a sidewalk and the curb of a street, also known as a tree lawn, "verge", or "parking strip".
  • In Bicycle Motocross (BMX) bicycle racing and mountain biking (MTB), a berm refers to a banked turn made from dirt with a relatively tight radius.
  • In Snowboarding, a berm is a wall of snow built up in a corner.[2]
  • In coastal systems, a berm is a raised ridge of pebbles or sand found at high tide or storm tide marks on a beach.
  • In snow removal, a berm or windrow refers to the linear accumulation of snow cast aside by a plow.[3]
  • In open-pit mining, a berm refers to dirt and rock piled alongside a haul road or along the edge of a dump point. Intended as a safety measure, they are commonly required by government organizations to be at least one-half as tall as the wheel of the largest mining machine on-site.[4] [5]
  • At some sports stadiums (mainly baseball), the berm is a grass area along the fence in foul and fair territory that fans are allowed to sit on and watch the game. This is mainly used by smaller ballparks that are home to minor league or college baseball teams and is a good way to draw people to games as admission prices are usually lower. Berm seating is typically general admission.

See also

References


 
 

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Copyrights:

Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Real Estate Dictionary. Dictionary of Real Estate Terms. Copyright © 2004 by Barron's Educational Series, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
US Military Dictionary. The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. Copyright © 2001, 2002 by Oxford University Press, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Geography Dictionary. A Dictionary of Geography. Copyright © Susan Mayhew 1992, 1997, 2004. All rights reserved.  Read more
Architecture. McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Architecture and Construction. Copyright © 2003 by McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Archaeology Dictionary. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology. Copyright © 2002, 2003 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.  Read more
Gardener's Dictionary. Taylor's Dictionary for Gardeners, by Frances Tenenbaum. Copyright © 1997 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Berm" Read more

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