scree
[skree]
- a steep mass of detritus on the side of a mountain.
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Origin of scree
First recorded in 1775–85, scree is from the Old Norse word skritha landslide
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for scree
Historical Examples
Then we buried it deep under the big pile of scree on my hill.
Shapes that Haunt the DuskVarious
It may, however, be recognised by its liberal output of scree.
Climbing in The British Isles. Vol. 1 - EnglandW. P. Haskett Smith
They set off and Festing noticed Helen's confidence on the scree.
The Girl From Keller'sHarold Bindloss
What followed in that hurly-burly—that mad scramble through brake and thicket, down crag and scree—cannot be written.
Unexplored SpainAbel Chapman
They walked down slowly, him leaning on her arm like an old man, steps faltering in the scree on the slope.
Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves TownCory Doctorow
scree
- an accumulation of weathered rock fragments at the foot of a cliff or hillside, often forming a sloping heapAlso called: talus
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Word Origin
Old English scrīthan to slip; related to Old Norse skrītha to slide, German schreiten to walk
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for scree
n.
"pile of debris at the base of a cliff," 1781, back-formation from screes (plural) "pebbles, small stones," from Old Norse skriða "landslide," from skriða "to creep, crawl;" of a ship, "to sail, glide," also "to slide" (on snow-shoes), from Proto-Germanic *skrithanan (cf. Old English scriþan "to go, glide," Old Saxon skridan, Dutch schrijden, Old High German scritan, German schreiten "to stride").
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper