Pronunciation: (bûrm), [key]
1. Also,berme. Fort.a horizontal surface between the exterior slope of a rampart and the moat.
2. Also called bench. any level strip of ground at the summit or sides, or along the base, of a slope.
3. Also called backshore, beach berm. a nearly flat back portion of a beach, formed of material deposited by the action of the waves.
4. Chiefly Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.the bank of a canal or the shoulder of a road.
5. Chiefly Alaska.a mound of snow or dirt, as formed when clearing land.
6. a bank of earth placed against an exterior wall or walls of a house or other building as protection against extremes of temperature.
to cover or protect with a berm: The side walls were bermed to a height of three feet.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.