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Showing results for couloir. Search instead for couloirs.
Synonyms

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; 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.

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

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 28, 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

According to SummitPost, an online climbing index and forum, the couloir is 1,200 vertical feet.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 22, 2023

Difficult mountaineering routes like the northeast couloir are more commonly tackled in spring when the weather is more favorable for clear, sunny conditions and avalanche risk has largely subsided for the season.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 22, 2023

Upon the other side we knew that there was a couloir in correspondence with that up which we had just come.

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.