revetment

From French revêtement, from Old French revestiment, from revestir (French revêtir), from Late Latin revestire (“to clothe again”), from Latin re- + vestire (“to clothe”).

• IPA^(key): /ɹɪˈvɛt.mənt/

revetment (plural revetments)

1. A layer of stone, concrete, or other hard material supporting the side of an embankment.
   • 1898, Rudyard Kipling, “The Bridge-Builders”, in The Day's Work:

     Findlayson, C. E., sat in his trolley on a construction line that ran along one of the main revetments—the huge stone-faced banks that flared away north and south for three miles on either side of the river and permitted himself to think of the end.

   • 1964 December, Mark Bourne, “The rejuvenation of the Cambrian line”, in Modern Railways, page 390:

     A 200-ton rockfall recently blocked the Machynlleth sidings, trapping several locomotives; a rock-slip on the approach embankment to Talerddig required expensive revetting last year; and on the coastal section to Barmouth an 80 foot-high stone revetment was completed some time ago at Friog; [...].

2. An ornamental facing, as on a common masonry wall, of marble, face brick, tiles, etc.
3. An armoured building that provides protection against bombs.

• Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “revetment”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.