Cut into a series of flat, level steps going up a slope. Instead of one long hillside running downhill, you get a stack of narrow flat shelves, one above the other, like wide stairs. Farmers do this so that rain and soil stay on the land instead of washing away, and so that the flat parts can hold water — which is exactly what rice needs. 'Terraced rice fields' or 'terraced paddies' is the phrase you will meet most. Gardens get the same treatment on a smaller scale: 'a terraced garden' has flat planted levels held up by low walls.

The word is an adjective, almost always sitting in front of a noun: terraced fields, terraced slopes, terraced hillsides, a terraced vineyard. There is also a verb behind it, 'to terrace' a hillside, but you meet the -ed form far more often.

One thing to know: in British English, 'terraced' also describes houses. A 'terraced house' is one in a long unbroken row, sharing side walls with its neighbours — the classic street of identical brick houses. That is a completely different picture from the hillside one, and it is very common in Britain. Americans say 'row house' instead. So when you meet 'terraced', check whether you are looking at a hill or a street.