Standard Lemma guide

earthwork

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • General-American: /ˈɝθwɝk/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈɜːθwɜːk/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: ER1 TH W ER2 K Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Any structure made from earth, especially an embankment used for fortification or flood control.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: earthenwork, vallation

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

an earthen rampart

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: rampart, bulwark, wall

Narrower terms: sconce

History

Etymology

From earth + work. First attested in the 1630s.

Across languages

Translations

9 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 土方工程 (tǔfāng gōngchéng) — structure made from earth
  • Finnish: maavalli — structure made from earth
  • German: Erdarbeit — structure made from earth
  • Italian: montarozzo — structure made from earth
  • Italian: terrapieno — structure made from earth
  • Māori: maioro — structure made from earth
  • Polish: wał ziemny — structure made from earth
  • Polish: szaniec — structure made from earth
  • Ottoman Turkish: اور (or) — structure made from earth