n.1. a. A narrow ledge or shelf, as along the top or bottom of a slope.
b. Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, & West Virginia The shoulder of a road.
c. A raised bank or path, especially the bank of a canal opposite the towpath.
2. A nearly horizontal or landward-sloping portion of a beach, formed by the deposition of sediment by storm waves.
3. A mound or bank of earth, used especially as a barrier or to provide insulation.
4. The flat space between the edge of a ditch and the base of a fortification.