crevasse
[ kruh-vas ]
/ krəˈvæs /
noun
a fissure, or deep cleft, in glacial ice, the earth's surface, etc.
a breach in an embankment or levee.
verb (used with object), cre·vassed, cre·vas·sing.
to fissure with crevasses.
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Origin of crevasse
1805–15, Americanism; < French; see crevice
OTHER WORDS FROM crevasse
un·cre·vassed, adjectiveWORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH crevasse
crevice crevasseWords nearby crevasse
cretons, creuse, creutzfeldt-jakob disease, crevalle, crevalle jack, crevasse, creve coeur, crevice, crevicular, crew, crew chief
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for crevasse
British Dictionary definitions for crevasse
crevasse
/ (krɪˈvæs) /
noun
a deep crack or fissure, esp in the ice of a glacier
US a break in a river embankment
verb
(tr) US to make a break or fissure in (a dyke, wall, etc)
Word Origin for crevasse
C19: from French: crevice
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
Scientific definitions for crevasse
crevasse
[ krĭ-văs′ ]
A deep fissure in a glacier or other body of ice. Crevasses are usually caused by differential movement of parts of the ice over an uneven topography.
A large, deep fissure in the Earth caused by an earthquake.
A wide crack or breach in the bank of a river. Crevasses usually form during floods.♦ The sediments that spill out through the crevasse and fan out along the external margin of the river's bank form a crevasse splay deposit.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
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