glacis

[ gley-sis, glas-is ]

/ ˈgleɪ sɪs, ˈglæs ɪs /

a gentle slope.

Fortification. a bank of earth in front of the counterscarp or covered way of a fort, having an easy slope toward the field or open country.

Origin of glacis

1665–75; < Middle French; akin to Old French glacier to slide; compare Latin glaciāre to make into ice; see glacé

Covered Way, road formed on the counterscarp and protected by the relief of the glacis (see p. 308).

Annals of a Fortress |E. Viollet-le-Duc
On the north and east are bastions with a very slight projection, a glacis, and ravelin.

Tent Work in Palestine |Claude Reignier Conder
She leaped on the parapet and the next second was on the glacis.

Greenmantle |John Buchan
They climbed the steep slope to the top of the glacis, and then ran down until they were brought to a standstill by another moat.

Won by the Sword |G.A. Henty

But a certain number of those glorious dead remained lying on the glacis or in the ditches of the place.

The British Expedition to the Crimea |William Howard Russell

glacis

/ (ˈɡlæsɪs, ˈɡlæsɪ, ˈɡleɪ-) /

a slight incline; slope

an open slope in front of a fortified place

short for glacis plate

C17: from French, from Old French glacier to freeze, slip, from Latin glaciāre, from glaciēs ice