Liberal Dictionary English Dictionary
noun, plural gla·cis [gley-seez, -siz, glas-eez, -iz] /ˈgleɪ siz, -sɪz, ˈglæs iz, -ɪz/, gla·cis·es.
- 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.
noun plural -ises or -is (-iːz, -ɪz)
- a slight incline; slope
- an open slope in front of a fortified place
- short for glacis plate
“sloping bank” (especially leading up to a fortification), 1670s, from French glacir “to freeze, make slippery,” from Old French glacier “to slip, glide,” from Vulgar Latin *glaciare “to make or turn into ice,” from glacies (see glacial).