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couloir

American  
[kool-wahr, koo-lwar] / kulˈwɑr, kuˈlwar /

noun

plural

couloirs

  1. a steep gorge or gully on the side of a mountain, especially in the Alps.

couloir British  
/ ˈkuːlwɑː, kulwar /

noun

  1. a deep gully on a mountain side, esp in the French Alps

"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

Etymology

Origin of couloir

1850–55; < French: literally, colander < Late Latin cōlātōrium strainer, equivalent to Latin cōlā ( re ) to strain, filter + -tōrium -tory 2; see coulee

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Gyselinck knows Eight Mile Road well and has climbed in these mountains for over 20 years, including a successful March 2016 ascent of Colchuck Peak via the northeast couloir.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 2, 2023

That can mean trekking all day to make but one run down an isolated couloir or a bowl.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 28, 2023

After about 1,500 vertical feet, the couloir narrowed and made a sharp bend.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 28, 2023

The three were part of a group on a steep gully known as a couloir when one of the climbers triggered an avalanche.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 24, 2023

A cutting wind was blowing in the couloir.

From Farthest North Being the Record of a Voyage of Exploration of the Ship 'Fram' 1893-1896 by Nansen, Fridtjof

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.