noun
pediment
A gently sloping rock surface at the base of a mountain.
A broad pediment slopes gently away from the mountain's rocky base.
Etymology
Geology borrowed pediment from architecture for a sloping feature at a mountain’s base. The resemblance of form supplies the technical landscape name.
More examples
- Loose gravel covers parts of the pediment.
- The trail crosses a pediment before climbing into the mountains.
- Several pediments extend along the foot of the range.
Forms
pediment · pediments
Similar words
- slope
- Any inclined surface, not specifically rock at a mountain's base.