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rockface

[rok-feys]
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noun
  1. an exposure of rock in a steep slope or cliff.

Origin of rockface

First recorded in 1850–55; rock1 + face
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for rock-face

Historical Examples

  • It was a stony smile, humorless as a crevasse in a rock-face.

    Highways in Hiding

    George Oliver Smith

  • The front of the Propylæum is of ashlar and rock-face work, and it is pronounced a very beautiful structure.

    Miss Ashton's New Pupil

    Mrs. S. S. Robbins

  • There was the little cave high up in the rock-face, looking towards the land, to which he had once scrambled up.

    Paul the Minstrel and Other Stories

    Arthur Christopher Benson

  • He caught fast and firm at John-Without-Asking, and threw himself over the rock-face.

  • They rowed close into the shore, till they discovered a place where the rock-face was cleft, and showed a pale light within.

Word Origin and History for rock-face

n.

1847, from rock (n.1) + face (n.).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper