arête

[ uh-reyt ]
/ əˈreɪt /

noun Physical Geography, Geology.

a sharp rugged mountain ridge, produced by glaciation.

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compact
joined or packed together; closely and firmly united; dense; solid.
ready or inclined to fight.
not participating actively.
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Origin of arête

1860–65; < French; Old French areste sharp ridge < Latin arista awn, ear of wheat

Words nearby arête

arytenoid cartilage, arytenoid muscle, arytenoidectomy, arytenoiditis, arytenoidopexy, arête, as, as . . . as, as a matter of course, as a matter of fact, as a rule
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

British Dictionary definitions for arête

arête
/ (əˈreɪt, əˈrɛt) /

noun

a sharp ridge separating two cirques or glacial valleys in mountainous regions

Word Origin for arête

C19: from French: fishbone, backbone (of a fish), ridge, sharp edge, from Latin arista ear of corn, fishbone
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for arête

arête
[ ə-rāt′ ]

A sharp, narrow ridge or spur commonly found above the snow line in mountainous areas that have been sculpted by glaciers. Arêtes form as the result of the continued backward erosion of adjoining cirques.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.