cirque
[ surk ]
/ sɜrk /
noun
circle; ring.
a bowl-shaped, steep-walled mountain basin carved by glaciation, often containing a small, round lake.
Origin of cirque
1595–1605; < French < Latin
circus; see
circus
Words nearby cirque
cire perdue,
cirebon,
cirenaica,
cirencester,
cirio,
cirque,
cirrate,
cirrhogenous,
cirrhosis,
cirrhus,
cirri
Example sentences from the Web for cirque
British Dictionary definitions for cirque
cirque
/ (sɜːk) /
noun
Also called: corrie, cwm
a semicircular or crescent-shaped basin with steep sides and a gently sloping floor formed in mountainous regions by the erosive action of a glacier
archaeol an obsolete term for circle (def. 11)
poetic
a circle, circlet, or ring
Word Origin for cirque
C17: from French, from Latin
circus ring, circle,
circus
Scientific definitions for cirque
cirque
[ sûrk ]
A steep, amphitheatre-shaped hollow occurring at the upper end of a mountain valley, especially one forming the head of a glacier or stream. Cirques are formed by the erosive activity of glaciers and often contain a small lake.