dry wall
- noun
- Specialized
:
muro de piedra seca
- The farmer repaired the damaged dry wall after the winter storms.
Examples
-
She took a photograph of the ancient dry wall snaking through the countryside.
-
Many old fields are bordered by dry wall fences that have stood for centuries.
-
The dry wall stood firm against the wind.
-
They built a dry wall around the garden.
-
The ancient dry wall was a testament to the skilled craftsmanship of the builders from centuries ago.
-
Walking along the hiking trail, we saw a beautiful dry wall made of stones fitted perfectly together.
-
In the old village, many properties are separated by a sturdy dry wall that has weathered many storms.
Synonyms
20
2.7
A low fence made by stacking rough stones to mark boundaries or keep animals out
1
4.9
A wall made of stones fitted together without mortar
How Stable
- Specialized
5
3.7
- Specialized
Surface Forms
Morphology
While the constituents 'dry' and 'wall' do suggest a wall that is not wet, the specific technical sense 'built by fitting stones together without mortar' relies on a constructional use of 'dry' (as in 'dry-stone') that is specialized and not the default interpretation. An average B1 learner knowing the words would most likely interpret it literally as ‘a wall that is not wet,’ so the precise constructional meaning is only partially predictable without prior exposure.
Etymology
Dry wall comes from farmers who made a wall by stacking stones with 'no mortar' between them. Because the stones were not held by any wet material, people called this style dry, so dry wall means a wall made by fitting stones together with 'no mortar'.