Bank n.
 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 Sam. xx. 15.
 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.   --Shak.
 4. An elevation, or rising ground, under the sea; a shoal, shelf, or shallow; as, the banks of Newfoundland.
 5. Mining (a) The face of the coal at which miners are working. (b) A deposit of ore or coal, worked by excavations above water level. (c) The ground at the top of a shaft; as, ores are brought to bank.
 6. Aëronautics The lateral inclination of an aëroplane 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.
 Bank beaver Zool., the otter. [Local, U.S.]
 Bank swallow, a small American and European swallow (Clivicola riparia) that nests in a hole which it excavates in a bank.
 Bea·ver n.
 1. Zool. An amphibious rodent, of the genus Castor.
 Note: ☞ It has palmated hind feet, and a broad, flat tail. It is remarkable for its ingenuity in constructing its lodges or “houses,” and dams across streams.  It is valued for its fur, and for the material called castor, obtained from two small bags in the groin of the animal.  The European species is Castor fiber, and the American is generally considered a variety of this, although sometimes called Castor Canadensis.
 2. The fur of the beaver.
 3. A hat, formerly made of the fur of the beaver, but now usually of silk.
    A brown beaver slouched over his eyes.   --Prescott.
 4. Beaver cloth, a heavy felted woolen cloth, used chiefly for making overcoats.
 Beaver rat Zool., an aquatic ratlike quadruped of Tasmania (Hydromys chrysogaster).
 Beaver skin, the furry skin of the beaver.
 Bank beaver. See under 1st Bank.