from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Beach \Beach\ (b[=e]ch), n.; pl. {Beaches} (-[e^]z). [Cf. Sw.
backe hill, Dan. bakke, Icel. bakki hill, bank. Cf. {Bank}.]
1. Pebbles, collectively; shingle.
[1913 Webster]
2. The shore of the sea, or of a lake, which is washed by the
waves; especially, a sandy or pebbly shore; the strand.
[1913 Webster]
{Beach flea} (Zool.), the common name of many species of
amphipod Crustacea, of the family {Orchestid[ae]}, 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.
[1913 Webster]