couloir
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
See Examples For:
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
After about 1,500 vertical feet, the couloir narrowed and made a sharp bend.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 28, 2023
Lewicky’s benchmark for great adventures dates to 2008 when, on a hike through the San Gabriels, he spotted an unfamiliar couloir — a steep chute bordered by rock on either side — in the distance.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 28, 2023
The couloir rises out of Colchuck Glacier, visible above the lake.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 22, 2023
This was offered by a large couloir leading to the 'saddle' between the black tower and the summit of the mountain, which is not much higher than the top of the tower.
From Among the Canadian Alps by Burpee, Lawrence J. (Lawrence Johnstone)
Olympian Cam Smith described the longer versions as a “more in-wild-mountains-off-the-ski-resorts event where you’re climbing up and skiing down in wild places and on technical ridges, on peaks, couloirs, all that good stuff.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 4, 2026
“Access couloirs that used to last deep into August are falling apart,” Volken added, describing the steep, narrow gullies that climbers often must ascend.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 4, 2023
And while Big Sky is revered for steep chutes and terrifying couloirs, of the resort’s 5,800 acres, 40% is made for newbies and intermediate skiers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 25, 2018
Snowboarders stranded in the hourglass couloirs plugged the tight spots like corks.
From New York Times ● Dec. 30, 2015
Snow couloirs are nothing more or less than gullies partly filled by snow.
From The Ascent of the Matterhorn by Whymper, Edward
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.
