1.A mound, pile, or ridge of earth, raised above the surrounding level; hence, anything shaped like a mound or ridge of earth; as, a bank of clouds; a bank of snow. "They cast up a bank against the city."
2.A steep acclivity, as the slope of a hill, or the side of a ravine.
3.The margin of a watercourse; the rising ground bordering a lake, river, or sea, or forming the edge of a cutting, or other hollow. "Tiber trembled underneath her banks."
4.An elevation, or rising ground, under the sea; a shoal, shelf, or shallow; as, the banks of Newfoundland.
6.(Aeronautics) The lateral inclination of an aeroplane as it rounds a curve; as, a bank of 45° is easy; a bank of 90° is dangerous.
7.A group or series of objects arranged near together; as, a bank of electric lamps, etc.
8.The tilt of a roadway or railroad, at a curve in the road, designed to counteract centrifugal forces acting on vehicles moving rapiudly around the curve, thus reducing the danger of overturning during a turn.
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