Revet

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To line or reinforce an earthwork, wall or embankment with a protective facing of stone, timber or concrete
2. Cover a slope, bank or wall with a sturdy protective layer that holds back soil or water
3. Fortify an embankment or wall by adding a durable facing made of masonry or similar material

Etymology: The English verb "revet" means to face a wall, embankment or similar structure with a layer of stone, brick or other masonry, and it arrived by way of a French verb meaning "to reclothe." That French word, "revêtir," is built from the prefix "re-" (again) and "vêtir" (to clothe), and "vêtir" itself descends from Latin "vestire," which meant to dress or clothe, from the noun "vestis," a garment. So at its root the word is about putting clothes back on something. The leap from dressing a person to dressing a wall makes sense once you picture the job. A builder who faces an earthwork or a retaining wall with a skin of stone is, in effect, giving the structure a new outer garment. English borrowed the French verb and narrowed its sense to this building task, so the word's meaning now lives entirely in construction rather than in wardrobe.

Synonyms: face, line