barranca

[ buh-rang-kuh; Spanish bahr-rahng-kah ]

/ bəˈræŋ kə; Spanish bɑrˈrɑŋ kɑ /

a steep-walled ravine or gorge.

a gully with steep sides; arroyo.

Origin of barranca

1685–95; < Spanish, variant of barranco, of obscure, probably pre-Latin orig.

It had been done in that terrible leap upon the rocky bed of the barranca.

The War Trail |Mayne Reid
We scrambled up the other side of the barranca and soon reached a small tableland on which stands the village of Chich.

A Glimpse at Guatemala |Anne Cary Maudslay
Our captors now divided themselves into two parties, and started up the barranca, taking opposite sides.

The Scalp Hunters |Mayne Reid
At sundown we reached the head of the Barranca del Oro, a vast cleft that traversed the plain leading down to the deserted mine.

The Scalp Hunters |Mayne Reid

When my eyes first rested upon the brute, he was just emerging out of the barranca at the very spot where I had climbed up myself.

The War Trail |Mayne Reid

barranca

/ (bəˈræŋkə) /

Southwestern US a ravine or precipice

C19: from Spanish, of uncertain origin