spoil bank
- noun
- Specialized
:
montón de desechos
- Many spoil banks can be found near old mines.
Examples
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The spoil bank from the excavation process created new habitats for wildlife.
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The spoil bank was covered in grass.
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The children played near the spoil bank left by the old quarry.
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Grass and shrubs began to cover the abandoned spoil bank over the years.
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Heavy rains caused part of the spoil bank to collapse into the stream.
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During our hike, we passed by several large spoil banks left from the mining operation.
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The construction crew carefully monitored the spoil banks to prevent erosion and maintain safety.
How Big
- Specialized
40
1.7
Surface Forms
Morphology
spoil + bank
The noun combines 'spoil' (here meaning waste material from excavation) with 'bank' (a raised mound or embankment), so the overall meaning is compositionally plausible if the learner knows the technical noun sense of 'spoil'. However, that mining-specific sense of 'spoil' is relatively rare and the compound is jargon-like, so an average B1 learner who only knows common senses of 'spoil' may not predict the meaning. This partial predictability makes the MWE semi-transparent.
Etymology
The noun spoil bank comes from mining, where spoil meant the waste earth and rock and bank meant a raised pile workers made with that waste. So spoil bank now means 'a pile of waste earth or rock left from digging'.