groyne

1 9.9

A low stone or concrete wall that sticks out from a beach to stop the sea from washing away sand

noun
/ɡrɔɪn/

: espigón

Visitors often enjoy walking along the groyne while observing the waves.

Examples

The construction of the groyne helped to reduce coastal erosion during storms.
Here we can see the hole in the groyne where Christ's new leg would have been attached.
The new groyne was built to protect the beach from rising sea levels.

Synonyms

seawall

vsgroyne

Specialized

11 3.9

A strong wall built along the shore to protect land from the sea

juts out from the beach to interrupt water and limit sediment movement

jetty

vsgroyne

11 5.1

A long wall that goes from the shore into the sea to protect the coast from waves

is shorter and mainly interrupts water to trap or stop sediment

breakwater

vsgroyne

Specialized

4 6.4

A wall built out into the sea to protect a coast or harbor from waves

is built instead to stop water flow and trap moving sediment

groin

vsgroyne

Specialized

1 9.1

A wall built from the shore into the sea to stop sand washing away

is the alternate form used for the same structure

mole

vsgroyne

1 7.7

A long stone or concrete wall built out from the shore to stop strong waves

is a lower, smaller barrier that interrupts water to limit sediment movement

How Protective

seawall

Specialized

11 3.9

breakwater

Specialized

4 6.4

jetty

11 5.1

groyne

1 9.9

Surface Forms

groyne singular

groynes plural

Etymology

Groyne comes from the French word groin, which means 'snout' or 'nose'. A groyne sticks out from the beach like a snout into the sea, so it stops water from washing the sand away and helps sand collect, which is why people build groynes to protect the shore.