arête

[ uh-reyt ]

/ əˈreɪt /

noun Physical Geography, Geology.

a sharp rugged mountain ridge, produced by glaciation.

Nearby words

arytenoid cartilage, arytenoid muscle, arytenoidectomy, arytenoiditis, arytenoidopexy, arête, as, as . . . as, as a matter of course, as a matter of fact, as a rule

Origin of arête

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

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

Science 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.