slänt

Slänt is a Swedish noun primarily referring to the incline or slope of a surface. In geography, geology and civil engineering, a slänt describes how steeply terrain rises or falls over a horizontal distance. The steepness is typically expressed as a grade or an angle, and it may vary along a landscape profile.

The concept applies to natural features such as hillsides, river banks and cliffs, as well as to man-made constructions like embankments, cuttings and retaining walls. The stability and drainage of a slänt are important considerations in land use planning, erosion control, slope management and infrastructure design, since steeper slänts are generally more prone to erosion and landslides.

In topographic and cadastral work, slänt is used to describe the geometry of the ground surface and to model water flow, sediment transport and load-bearing capacity. Slänt may be gentle or steep, straight or irregular, and can vary with weathering, vegetation and human activity.

Etymology: The term is native Swedish and is used widely in maps, surveys and construction contexts. It is related in meaning to other terms for incline, such as lutning or gradient.

See also: slope, gradient, lutning, terrain.