SCARP

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does scarp mean? 

• SCARP (noun)
  The noun SCARP has 2 senses:

1. a long steep slope or cliff at the edge of a plateau or ridge; usually formed by erosion

2. a steep artificial slope in front of a fortification

  Familiarity information: SCARP used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• SCARP (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A long steep slope or cliff at the edge of a plateau or ridge; usually formed by erosion

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural objects (not man-made)

Synonyms:

escarpment; scarp

Hypernyms ("scarp" is a kind of...):

incline; side; slope (an elevated geological formation)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A steep artificial slope in front of a fortification

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

escarp; escarpment; protective embankment; scarp

Hypernyms ("scarp" is a kind of...):

fortification; munition (defensive structure consisting of walls or mounds built around a stronghold to strengthen it)

 Context examples 

However, once the buried ice becomes exposed to Mars' atmosphere, a scarp likely grows wider and taller as it "retreats," due to sublimation of the ice directly from solid form into water vapor.

(Steep Slopes on Mars Reveal Structure of Buried Ice, NASA)

A jagged scarp, or wall of cliffs, known as Piri Rupes borders the young, nearly crater-free plains of Piri Planitia.

(What’s Eating at Pluto?, NASA)