Beach (bēch), n.; pl.
Beaches (-ĕz). [Cf. Sw. backe hill, Dan.
bakke, Icel. bakki hill, bank. Cf. Bank.]
1. Pebbles, collectively; shingle.
2. The shore of the sea, or of a lake, which is
washed by the waves; especially, a sandy or pebbly shore; the
strand.
Beach flea (Zoöl.), the common name of
many species of amphipod Crustacea, of the family Orchestidæ,
living on the sea beaches, and leaping like fleas. -- Beach
grass (Bot.), a coarse grass (Ammophila
arundinacea), growing on the sandy shores of lakes and seas, which, by
its interlaced running rootstocks, binds the sand together, and resists the
encroachment of the waves. -- Beach wagon, a
light open wagon with two or more seats. -- Raised
beach, an accumulation of water-worn stones, gravel, sand,
and other shore deposits, above the present level of wave action, whether
actually raised by elevation of the coast, as in Norway, or left by the
receding waters, as in many lake and river regions.
Beach, v. t. [imp. & p. p.
Beached (bēcht); p. pr. & vb. n.
Beaching.] To run or drive (as a vessel or a boat) upon a
beach; to strand; as, to beach a ship.