regrade
ree-GRADE
Definition
To modify the slope or contour of a piece of land to achieve a specific level or incline, often for drainage or stabilization.
Etymology
Derived from the prefix 're-' (meaning again) combined with 'grade' (from the Latin 'gradus,' meaning step or degree). It entered English to describe the process of adjusting the level or slope of a surface.
In the news
The article uses the word to describe how mining companies are legally required to flatten and shape the land after strip mining. It serves as a necessary, though artificial, step in reclaiming the landscape.
Kentucky released 1,541 elk onto the strip-mined coalfields of its eastern counties between 1997 and 2002, and the herd now runs about 13,000, the largest east of the Rockies, because an elk is a grazer, and the mines had done what the forest never could —
Read the full article ↗ScienceBlog.com