Embankment
/ɪmˈbæŋk.mənt/noun
A raised bank or artificial mound used to hold back water or support a road or railway.
Did you know?Embankment comes from the same Germanic root as bank, originally meaning a ridge or hill, so the word carries the ancient image of piled earth turned into protection.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*bankiz
“A ridge, bank, or edge of raised ground”
Old English
OE
banc
“A bank, slope, or ridge”
Middle English
ME
banke
“A raised earth slope, mound, or shore”
16th Century
English
embanken
“To form or fortify with a bank or embankment”
18th Century
English
embankment
“A structure of earth raised to support or protect something”
Modern English
English
embankment
“A raised bank or artificial mound, especially beside water or a roadway”