glacis

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: glac=is

CIDE DICTIONARY

glacis, n. [F. glacis; -- so named from its smoothness. See Glacier.].

 A gentle slope, or a smooth, gently sloping bank; especially (Fort.), that slope of earth which inclines from the covered way toward the exterior ground or country (see Illust. of Ravelin).  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

glacis, n. (pl. same) a bank sloping down from a fort, on which attackers are exposed to the defenders' missiles etc.

Etymology

F f. OF glacier to slip f. glace ice: see GLACIER

THESAURUS

glacis

abatis, advanced work, balistraria, bank, banquette, barbed-wire entanglement, barbican, barricade, barrier, bartizan, bastion, battlement, bevel, bezel, breastwork, bulwark, casemate, cheval-de-frise, chute, circumvallation, contravallation, counterscarp, curtain, demibastion, dike, drawbridge, earthwork, easy slope, enclosure, entanglement, escarp, escarpment, fence, fieldwork, fleam, fortalice, fortification, gentle slope, grade, gradient, hanging gardens, helicline, hillside, inclination, incline, inclined plane, launching ramp, loophole, lunette, machicolation, mantelet, merlon, mound, outwork, palisade, parados, parapet, pitch, portcullis, postern gate, ramp, rampart, ravelin, redan, redoubt, sally port, scarp, sconce, shelving beach, side, slope, steep slope, stiff climb, stockade, talus, tenaille, vallation, vallum, work

ROGET THESAURUS

glacis

Defense

N defense, protection, guard, ward, shielding, propugnation, preservation, guardianship, area defense, site defense, self-defense, self-preservation, resistance, safeguard, balistraria, bunker, screen, camouflage, fortification, munition, muniment, trench, foxhole, bulwark, fosse, moat, ditch, entrenchment, intrenchment, kila, dike, dyke, parapet, sunk fence, embankment, mound, mole, bank, sandbag, revetment, earth work, field- work, fence, wall dead wall, contravallation, paling, palisade, haha, stockade, stoccado, laager, sangar, barrier, barricade, boom, portcullis, chevaux de frise, abatis, abattis, abbatis, vallum, circumvallation, battlement, rampart, scarp, escarp, counter-scarp, glacis, casemate, vallation, vanfos, buttress, abutment, shore, breastwork, banquette, curtain, mantlet, bastion, redan, ravelin, vauntmure, advance work, horn work, outwork, barbacan, barbican, redoubt, fort-elage, fort-alice, lines, loophole, machicolation, sally port, hold, stronghold, fastness, asylum, keep, donjon, dungeon, fortress, citadel, capitol, castle, tower of strength, tower of strength, fort, barracoon, pah, sconce, martello tower, peelhouse, blockhouse, rath, wooden walls, bulletproof vest, armored vest, buffer, corner stone, fender, apron, mask, gauntlet, thimble, carapace, armor, shield, buckler, aegis, breastplate, backplate, cowcatcher, face guard, scutum, cuirass, habergeon, mail, coat of mail, brigandine, hauberk, lorication, helmet, helm, bassinet, salade, heaume, morion, murrion, armet, cabaset, vizor, casquetel, siege cap, headpiece, casque, pickelhaube, vambrace, shako, bearskin, panoply, truncheon, garrison, picket, piquet, defender, protector, guardian, bodyguard, champion, knight-errant, Paladin, propugner, bulletproof window, hardened site, defending, defensive, mural, armed, armed at all points, armed cap-a-pie, armed to the teeth, panoplied, iron-plated, ironclad, loopholed, castellated, machicolated, casemated, defended, proof against, armored, ballproof, bulletproof, hardened, defensively, on the defense, on the defensive, in defense, at bay, pro aris et focis, Int, no surrender!, defense not defiance, Dieu defend le droit, fidei defensor, defender of the faith.