to earth up

8.2

To cover something with dirt or rocks so it is blocked

phrasal verb

: cubrir con tierra

They worked all day to clear the tunnel that had been earthed up after the landslide.

Examples

They need to earth up the plants before winter.
Heavy rains caused the hillside to collapse, earthing up several homes in its path.
After the storm, debris and rocks earthed up the road leading to the village.
After the storm, we earthed up the garden for protection.
The heavy rain caused the mountain to earth up, burying the path under a thick layer of soil.
After the landslide, workers had to earth up the area to prevent further erosion.
In order to protect the crops from frost, they decided to earth up the soil around them.

Synonyms

to mound over

vsto earth up

7.7

To cover something with a pile of earth to bury and protect it

cover or block with soil to protect or fill without a raised pile

How Covered

to bury

∞ 1.7

to earth up

8.2

to mulch

4 5.2

Surface Forms

earth up infinitive

earthed up past

earthed up past participle

earthing up present participle

earths up third person singular

Morphology

earth + up

The sense ‘to cover or block with soil’ is partly derivable from combining 'earth' (soil) with the particle 'up' (giving a sense of piling or completing an action), so a learner who knows the constituents can get the general idea. However, 'earth' as a verb and the specific particle meaning (mounding/covering) are less frequent and may not be fully predictable for a B1 learner without prior exposure, so it is only partially transparent.

Etymology

Earth up comes from the simple picture of soil being piled up. People or a landslide can pile earth up and cover a road or house, so earth up means 'to cover or block with earth or soil'.