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单词 crevasse
释义

crevasse

noun

cre·​vasse kri-ˈvas How to pronounce crevasse (audio)
1
: a breach in a levee
2
: a deep crevice or fissure (as in a glacier or the earth)
The climber narrowly missed slipping into a crevasse.

Did you know?

What's the difference between a crevice and a crevasse?

Crevice and crevasse are very similar words: both come from Old French crever "to break or burst" and both refer to an opening of some kind. In fact, you can say that the only notable distinction between the two is the size of the openings they denote—and that one of them—crevice—is far more common than the other.

A crevice is a narrow opening resulting from a split or crack. In nature, crevices exist mostly in rocks and cliffs, but writers sometimes use the word for similar openings found in other materials, as in "crumbs in the crevices of the cushion." The word also is used metaphorically, as in "the cracks and crevices of memory."

Crevasse refers to a deep hole or fissure in a glacier or in the earth. In most instances, the word appears with enough context that the depth of the opening is easy enough to figure out, as in "a climber who fell 30 feet into a crevasse."

You'll sometimes find crevice used where crevasse is expected—probably because it's the word people are more familiar with. One way to remember the distinction between crevice and crevasse is that the i in crevice, the smaller hole, is a thinner letter than a in crevasse, the larger hole. Or, should you step into a crevasse, perhaps you'll have time for a lot of "Ahhhs"?

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web Water may have accumulated in the crevasse, adding weight and pressure on the glacier. Michael Phillis, Anchorage Daily News, 5 July 2022 Lately, the crevasse has begun to build new marsh again, though not yet enough to replace what was lost. Boyce Upholt, Wired, 23 July 2022 The Army Corps has found that a large crevasse that formed in Plaquemines Parish during a 1973 flood likely contributed to land loss over the next few decades, as the rush of water tore through precarious marsh. Boyce Upholt, Wired, 23 July 2022 The highway reopened with a detour Monday after a large chunk of roadway north of Liard Hot Springs in British Columbia washed away Friday, leaving a crevasse that for several days closed the main route between Alaska and the Lower 48. Anchorage Daily News, 6 July 2022 Last month, a Japanese climber was presumed dead after falling into a crevasse near Mount Hunter. Asha C. Gilbert, USA TODAY, 6 June 2022 The climbers were on the Kautz Glacier climbing route below the Wapowety Cleaver and had planned to descend the Disappointment Cleaver route when one of them fell into the crevasse, officials said. From Usa Today Network And Wire Reports, USA TODAY, 19 May 2022 In May, a Japanese mountain climber, 43, was presumed dead after falling into a crevasse. Marlene Lenthang, NBC News, 6 June 2022 His death comes just weeks after a Japanese mountain climber, 43, was presumed dead after falling into a crevasse. Rebekah Riess, Katia Hetter And Zoe Sottile, CNN, 5 June 2022 See More

Word History

Etymology

French, from Old French crevace — see crevice

First Known Use

1813, in the meaning defined at sense 1

crevasse

noun

as in chasm
a deep, narrow opening or crack in an area of thick ice or rock

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
  • chasm
  • crevice
  • fissure
  • abyss
  • cleft
  • ravine
  • canyon
  • gorge
  • cirque
  • couloir
  • valley
  • gulch
  • col
  • gap
  • saddle
  • cwm
  • flume
  • hollow
  • glen
  • defile
  • vale
  • notch
  • gulf
  • gully
  • pass
  • kloof
  • dell
  • combe
  • trench
  • dale
  • basin
  • linn
  • gill
  • coulee
  • coombe
  • coomb
  • gulley
  • barranca
  • wadi
  • arroyo
  • floodplain
  • gutter
  • kettle
  • trough
  • barranco
  • nullah
  • wash
  • shut-in
  • draw
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更新时间:2024/11/11 7:40:41