geest
A type of slightly raised landscape, with sandy and gravelly soils, that occurs in the plains of Northern Germany, the Northern Netherlands and Denmark.
the waves, beating agaiņst the geest, were thence repelled upon the marsch.
Where it comes from
Borrowed from German Geest (from Low German güst (“dry, infertile”, adjective), from Middle Low German gēst (“dry, elevated”, literally “cracking, gaping, yawning”)) or Dutch geest (from Middle Dutch geest, from Old Dutch *gēst (“dry, infertile”)), in either case a substantivization of what was initially an adjective, Proto-Germanic *gais- (“infertile”), ultimately probably from *gīnan. See also German gähnen.
Adapted from the Wiktionary entry geest (CC BY-SA 4.0).