crevasse
/krɪˈvas
/noun
1A deep open crack, especially one in a glacier.On good days they could travel no more than 15 miles, and they had to be ever vigilant of the deep crevasses opening up beneath their feet when the snow melted....
- A glaciologist said the crevasses could be wide open, waiting to swallow the unwary.
- The lake invades the glacier's deep chasms and crevasses, detonating thunderous explosions as great shards of ice detach and re-emerge as icebergs.
Synonyms
chasm, abyss, fissure, cleft, crack, split, breach, rift, gap, hole, opening, pit, cavity, crater
1.1North American A breach in the embankment of a river or canal.Dogfish roam the area looking for prey and large crabs bury themselves in small crevasses and sand pockets....
- Like his fellow citizens, he took a lively interest in the great swellings of the Mississippi River, which periodically breached the levees in what were known as crevasses.
- This expansion of the compressed river of ice causes crevasse fields to develop.
Origin
Early 19th century: from French, from Old French crevace (see crevice).