A rocky outcrop, waste heap, or pile of mineral and rock debris left over from mining operations.
From Spanish 'escorial,' derived from Latin 'scoria' (dross or slag left from smelting). The word originally referred to the waste products of metal refining and mining.
The most famous Escorial is Philip II's Spanish palace of that name—he built it near a mine's waste heap, and named it after the refuse pile, turning a reminder of industrial waste into one of Europe's most magnificent architectural monuments.
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