earthwork

earthwork

English

Etymology

earth +‎ work

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈɝθwɝk/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈɜːθwɜːk/

Noun

earthwork (plural earthworks)

1. Any structure made from earth; especially an embankment or rampart used as a fortification.
   • 1946 July and August, “The Railways of Persia”, in Railway Magazine, page 208:

     At the moment only some 35 miles of earthwork have been completed from Qum, and no permanent way has been laid.

   • 2022 July 13, Paul Clifton, “Network News: Fareham Tunnel blockade aids landslip prevention”, in RAIL, number 961, page 32:

     The line was built by navvies using little more than wheelbarrows and shovels, with whatever material was close at hand, and the railway suffered from earthworks problems right from the start.

Translations

structure made from earth

Chinese: Mandarin: 土方工程 (tǔfāng gōngchéng) Finnish: maavalli French: please add this translation if you can German: Erdarbeit (de) f Italian: montarozzo m, terrapieno (it) m Maori: maioro

References

• “earthwork”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.