corrie

American  

[kawr-ee, kor-ee] / ˈkɔr i, ˈkɒr i /

noun

Scot.

1. a circular hollow in the side of a hill or mountain.

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corrie British  

/ ˈkɒrɪ /

noun

1. geology another name for cirque

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Etymology

Origin of corrie

First recorded in 1785–95, corrie is from the Scots Gaelic word coire cauldron, whirlpool, hollow

Explanation

A corrie is a bowl-shaped indentation in the side or top of a mountain. Corries are formed by glaciers, and they often turn into small lakes over time as they fill with water. Another name for a corrie is a cirque. These landforms are commonly described as "natural amphitheaters," based on their round, concave shape. It takes glacial ice flowing in different directions to gradually carve a corrie from mountain rock. The deep basin then catches any melting water and forms a lake known as a tarn. Corrie comes from the Scottish Gaelic coire, "pot or cauldron."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

corrie

The Sphinx lies in Garbh Choire Mor, a hollow known as a corrie formed by ice or a glacier during the last ice age.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2022

After following a five-pointer stag for over four hours, they had it trapped in a corrie.

From Time Magazine Archive

“Fleet foot on the corrie Sage counsel in cumber Red hand in the foray, How sound is thy slumber!”

From Philological Proofs of the Original Unity and Recent Origin of the Human Race by Johnes, Arthur James

They were on a large open moss at the bottom of a corrie, whence they could see a moving object on every side of them.

From Tracks of a Rolling Stone by Coke, Henry J. (Henry John)

Fleet foot on the corrie, Sage counsel in cumber, Red hand in the foray, How sound is thy slumber!

From The Modern Scottish Minstrel, Volume I. The Songs of Scotland of the past half century by Rogers, Charles