A ledge between the parapet and the moat in a fortification.
A raised bank or path, especially the bank of a canal opposite the towpath.
A mound or bank of earth, used especially as a barrier or to provide insulation.
A terrace formed by wave action along a beach.
A strip of land between a street and sidewalk.
Edge of a road.
A narrow ledge or shelf, as along the top or bottom of a slope.
To provide something with a berm
In fortifications that were enfiladed by enemy in positions commanding the fort, an internal parados could defilade the enemy, serving as physical protection and blindage. Usages of the term have varied inconsistently according to times and sources. Some sources use parados as a synonym for a traverse; some other sources represent parados as a special class of traverse and not necessarily at the back of any particular position.
In trench warfare parados referred to a bank of earth or similar material behind the rear of the trench, opposite the parapet, affording protection from explosions and fragments when shells or bombs overshot the trench.
Generally a screen or embankment to protect the rear of a position from enemy attack, from bomb splinters from behind, from enemy fire from a commanding height, or fire from flanking positions. In common English usage since World War II, the term "parados", particularly in trench warfare, has largely been discarded in favour of "rear parapet", which, etymologically speaking, is a contradiction in terms. In some contexts the term "rear traverse" is preferred, but no usage is exclusive.