couloir

[kool-wahr; French koo-lwar]

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noun, plural cou·loirs [kool-wahrz, French koo-lwar] /kulˈwɑrz, French kuˈlwar/.

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

Origin of couloir

1850–55; < French: literally, colander < Late Latin cōlātōrium strainer, equivalent to Latin cōlā(re) to strain, filter + -tōrium -tory²; see coulee

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

Related Words for couloir

hallway, passage, walkway, aisle, passageway, foyer, lobby, hall, ingress, alley, path, entranceway

Examples from the Web for couloir

Historical Examples of couloir

Just below him lay the longest ice-slope, or couloir, he had hitherto encountered.
Rivers of Ice
R.M. Ballantyne
A few minutes more, and he stood at the foot of the couloir.
Rivers of Ice
R.M. Ballantyne
We climbed down into the couloir: the ice was furrowed by avalanches.
True Tales of Mountain Adventures
Mrs. Aubrey Le Blond
In a quarter of an hour we were on the other side of the couloir.
True Tales of Mountain Adventures
Mrs. Aubrey Le Blond
We resolved, then, to risk the short stretch across the couloir.
True Tales of Mountain Adventures
Mrs. Aubrey Le Blond

British Dictionary definitions for couloir

couloir

noun

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

Word Origin for couloir

C19: from French: corridor, from couler to pour; see coulee

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