berm

/bərm/

/bθrm/

Other forms: berms

A berm is a raised strip of ground that runs along the side of a road or a body of water. You might stand on the berm by a lake with your fishing pole as you bait your hook.

A berm is any stretch of grass or land that forms a kind of shelf above or along a river, train tracks, or highway. Some berms are a natural feature of the landscape, while others are man made. A berm can form a barrier between two spaces, and when the word is used in a military context it means a defensive wall of sorts. It comes from an Old Dutch root, baerm, "edge of a dike."

Definitions of berm

1. noun

   a narrow ledge or shelf typically at the top or bottom of a slope
   type of:

   ledge, shelf

   a projecting ridge on a mountain or submerged under water
2. noun

   a narrow edge of land (usually unpaved) along the side of a road
   synonyms: shoulder

   types:

   hard shoulder

   a paved strip beside a motorway (for stopping in emergencies)

   type of:

   edge

   the outside limit of an object or area or surface; a place farthest away from the center of something