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Showing results for scree. Search instead for screes.
Synonyms

scree

American  
[skree] / skri /

noun

  1. a steep mass of detritus on the side of a mountain.


scree British  
/ skriː /

noun

  1. Also called: talus.  an accumulation of weathered rock fragments at the foot of a cliff or hillside, often forming a sloping heap

"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

Etymology

Origin of scree

First recorded in 1775–85, scree is from the Old Norse word skritha landslide

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Above 13,000 feet, the trail disappears, turning the final push into a steep, tortuous slog up loose scree guided only by cairns — stone towers left by previous climbers to mark the way.

From Los Angeles Times Nov. 2, 2023

Up in the mountains, they cling to “pockets in shifting scree, where gravel and rocks form barely the idea of soil,” Chips said.

From Seattle Times Aug. 9, 2023

They parked on the far edge of the outcrop, then continued on foot through a sloping scree field of glassy black stone until they reached a view of the mud flats to the east.

From Salon Jul. 7, 2023

We met along the steep scree wall between Torre Brunico and Colfosco when I asked Stephen, who had a GPS device on his backpack, how much higher we had to climb.

From Washington Post Aug. 26, 2022

Before heading for the scree slope, they’d each gathered a faggot of firewood, and prepared a little piece of fire to bring with them.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver

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