horst

[ hawrst ]

/ hɔrst /

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noun

a portion of the earth's crust, bounded on at least two sides by faults, that has risen in relation to adjacent portions.

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Compare graben.

Origin of horst

1890–95; <German: “heap, cluster,” from Middle High German, Old High German hurst “thicket”

Words nearby horst

horsewhip, horsewoman, horsey, horsily, hor. som., horst, Horst Wessel song, hort., Horta, hortative, hortatory

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use horst in a sentence

Horst Ulrich, a 72-year-old German on a trek with a group of friends, watched four Nepali guides swept away by an avalanche.
Nepal’s Deadliest Avalanche Was Totally Avoidable|Dick Dorworth|October 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Horst preferred the original, the slight gap suggesting invitation.
How Horst Captured Dietrich, Rita Hayworth, and Vivien Leigh—and Changed Fashion Photography|Patrick Strudwick|September 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There is Joan Crawford in a huge black hat, her face, said Horst, “is all make-up, a mask not a face.”
How Horst Captured Dietrich, Rita Hayworth, and Vivien Leigh—and Changed Fashion Photography|Patrick Strudwick|September 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A new exhibition reveals the dark magic of legendary photographer Horst.
How Horst Captured Dietrich, Rita Hayworth, and Vivien Leigh—and Changed Fashion Photography|Patrick Strudwick|September 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Maxine reunites with her husband, Horst, and her pursuit of Ice crystallizes into something cohesive.
Thomas Pynchon Meets His Match: The Internet|Alexander Nazaryan|September 11, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The trouble with the Ditmars-Horst reactor was that it lacked any automatic negative-feedback system.
The Bramble Bush|Gordon Randall Garrett
Shutting off the Ditmars-Horst would simply blow a hole in the crust of Luna and kill everyone if he did it now.
The Bramble Bush|Gordon Randall Garrett
I am delighted with the roses and the closets and the horse-chestnut—especially the horst-chestnut.
The Very Small Person|Annie Hamilton Donnell
An official document, quoted by Horst, narrates the particulars of the examination and burning of a disinterred vampire.
The Superstitions of Witchcraft|Howard Williams
There is no need to labour this question; the horst cannot have existed.
The Birth-Time of the World and Other Scientific Essays|J. (John) Joly

British Dictionary definitions for horst

horst

/ (hɔːst) /

noun

a ridge of land that has been forced upwards between two parallel faults

Word Origin for horst

C20: from German: thicket

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 horst

horst

[ hôrst ]

A usually elongated block of rock that is bounded by parallel geologic faults along its two longest sides and has a higher elevation than the rock at its sides. Horsts form where rock is being compressed by tectonic forces.