I. noun
or scarpe ˈskärp
( -s )
Etymology: Old North French escarpe sash, sling — more at scarf
heraldry : a diminutive of the bend sinister half its width
II. ˈskärp, ˈskȧp noun
( -s )
Etymology: Italian scarpa, probably of Germanic origin; akin to Old English scearp sharp — more at sharp
1. : a nearly vertical sometimes walled side of a ditch below the parapet of a fortification — called also escarp ; compare counterscarp
2.
a. : a line of cliffs produced by faulting or erosion — see fault-line scarp , fault scarp
b. : a low steep slope along a beach caused by wave erosion
III. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
: to cut so as to form a scarp : cut down vertically or to a steep slope
scarp the face of a ditch
scarp a coast into rugged cliffs