Terreplein

//ˈtɛɹəpleɪn// noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    The sloping earthen embankment behind a defensive wall. obsolete
  2. 2
    level space where heavy guns can be mounted behind the parapet at the top of a rampart wordnet
  3. 3
    The level platform atop a wall, typically protected by a parapet and (strictly) distinguished from the slightly higher banquette used by its defenders.
  4. 4
    Any level base used by artillery in the field.
  5. 5
    Any earthen embankment with a broad level top, such as those used for a canal elevated above a valley floor.

Synonyms

All synonyms
talus

Etymology

Originally a borrowing of Italian terrapieno (“earth-fill(ed)”), later altered after the model of French terreplein (now terre-plein). Its former misspellings arose from confusion of the second element of the name with Italian piano or French plain, plane (“flat, level”) based on the appearance of the earth-filled central platforms of walls.

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