earthscraper

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English

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Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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From earth +‎ -scraper.

Noun

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earthscraper (plural earthscrapers)

  1. (science fiction, architecture) A building that is built underground; a subterranean skyscraper.
    • 2008, Alan Burt Akers, Gangs of Antares: Dray Prescot 45:
      By Vox! We went down all right. Spacious rooms were here piled one upon another connected by wide staircases. This subterranean temple was rather like an inverted skyscraper, an earthscraper, perhaps.
    • 2014, Leopoldo Marechal, Adam Buenosayres: A Novel:
      So then I dreamed up a subterranean skyscraper (or,if you will, an earthscraper) with various floors, each of them constituting a different infernal abode;
    • 2015, Joshua Viola, Blackstar:
      The earthscraper burst from the tunnel into daylight, sparks trailing. Elara turned hard against the wheel, corrected itstrajectory and spun one hundred and eighty degrees into a brigade of sentinels their weapons drawn.

Etymology 2

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Compound of earth +‎ scraper.

Noun

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earthscraper (plural earthscrapers)

  1. (construction, mining) Synonym of bellyscraper (a piece of heavy equipment)
    Coordinate terms: earth grader, bulldozer
Alternative forms
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