beachhead
/ˈbiːt͡ʃhɛd/
Etymology
From beach + head.
beachhead means an area of hostile territory (especially on a beach) that, when captured, serves for the continuous landing (or movement into position) of further troops and material. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 80 out of 100.
beachhead is pronounced /ˈbiːt͡ʃhɛd/.
Why “beachhead” is a great word
BEACHHEAD — [Noun] A position on a hostile shore, captured from an enemy and secured to serve as a base for further military operations and landings. From beach (shore of a body of water) + head (as in a forward position or promontory), patterned after the earlier military term bridgehead; first attested in the 1920s and widely popularized during World War II. Unlike a 'foothold'—a more general, abstracted position for progress—or a 'bridgehead'—a position secured beyond a land obstacle like a river—a beachhead is the violently specific product of a seaborne assault. It is the first trench dug in wet sand under fire, the frantic stockpiling of crates above the tide line, and the precarious arc of perimeter wire facing a continent of unknown resistance. It is the moment a war plants its flag and holds its breath, a fragment of order violently carved from the chaotic margin between ocean and land.
noun
- An area of hostile territory (especially on a beach) that, when captured, serves for the continuous landing (or movement into position) of further troops and material
- A coastal landing place.“[...] the SR is confident of Newhaven's appeal as a starting point convenient for Southern England generally and of Dieppe's attraction as a beachhead from which motorists' routes to the principal holiday areas from the French coastline will be shortened.”
- An initial success that ensures the possibility of further advances in a project; a foothold.“Muslim influence in Arakan was of great cultural and political importance. In effect, Arakan was the beachhead for Muslim penetration into other parts of Burma even if it never achieved the same degree of importance it did in Arakan. As a result of the close land and sea contacts maintained between the two countries, Muslims played a key role in the history of the Kingdom of Arakan.”