Definition of "berm" [berm]

• A narrow ledge or shelf, as along the top or bottom of a slope. (noun)
• Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, & West Virginia The shoulder of a road. (noun)
• A raised bank or path, especially the bank of a canal opposite the towpath. (noun)
• A nearly horizontal or landward-sloping portion of a beach, formed by the deposition of sediment by storm waves. (noun)
• A mound or bank of earth, used especially as a barrier or to provide insulation. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "And the Louisiana berm is not the only example of rushed emergency permitting of a major project."
• "I hope I’m wrong, but I fear that this permitted berm is not a viable solution."
• "The range was two hundred yards and the berm was all clay so no damage would come to the arrows."