What does "earthwork" mean?

Any structure made from earth, especially an embankment used for fortification or flood control.

What is a synonym for "earthwork"?

Common synonyms include: abatis, advanced work, arch dam, backstop, balistraria, bamboo curtain.

//ˈɝθwɝk// noun

noun ·Moderate ·College level

Noun

1
Any structure made from earth, especially an embankment used for fortification or flood control.
"At the moment only some 35 miles of earthwork have been completed from Qum, and no permanent way has been laid."
2
an earthen rampart wordnet

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

From earth + work. First attested in the 1630s.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.