horst

[ hawrst ]

noun

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

Origin of horst

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

Compare graben.

Words Nearby horst

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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 | THE 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 | THE 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 | THE 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 | THE 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 | THE 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

Origin of 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.

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