crampon

American  

[kram-pon] / ˈkræm pɒn /

Also crampoon

noun

1. a spiked iron plate worn on boots or shoes for aid in climbing or to prevent slipping on ice, snow, etc.

2. a device for grasping and lifting heavy loads, usually consisting of a pair of hooks suspended from a chain or cable, the upward pull on which provides tension for the hooks to grip the load on opposite sides.

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crampon British  

/ ˈkræmpən /

noun

1. one of a pair of pivoted steel levers used to lift heavy objects; grappling iron

2. (often plural) one of a pair of frames each with 10 or 12 metal spikes, strapped to boots for climbing or walking on ice or snow

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verb

1. to climb using crampons

Etymology

Origin of crampon

1275–1325; Middle English cra ( u ) mpon < Old French crampon < Old Low Franconian *krampo, cognate with Old High German krampfo, Middle Dutch crampe; see cramp ²

Example Sentences

Chris Haugen realized he lost his crampon — a glacial traction device climbers attach to their shoes — and scrambled down to retrieve it after climbers below said they saw the missing footwear.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 29, 2023

Standing on its tip, my crampon points biting into a rim of blue ice, I feel as though I’ve been swallowed by the sky.

From National Geographic • Jul. 14, 2015

Fifteen minutes of dicey, fatiguing crampon work brought me safely to the bottom of the incline, where I easily located my pack, and another ten minutes after that I was in camp myself.

From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer

Together we discussed and gravely considered the relative merits of side compression straps, spindrift collars, crampon patches, load transfer differentials, air-flow channels, webbing loops, and something called the occipital cutout ratio.

From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson

Barely breathing now, I moved my feet up, scrabbling my crampon points across the verglas.

From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer