crevasse
[ kruh-vas ]
/ krəˈvæs /
noun
a fissure, or deep cleft, in glacial ice, the earth's surface, etc.
a breach in an embankment or levee.
verb (used with object), cre·vassed, cre·vas·sing.
to fissure with crevasses.
Origin of crevasse
1805–15,
Americanism; < French; see
crevice
OTHER WORDS FROM crevasse
un·cre·vassed, adjectiveWORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH crevasse
crevice crevasseWords nearby crevasse
cretons,
creuse,
creutzfeldt-jakob disease,
crevalle,
crevalle jack,
crevasse,
creve coeur,
crevice,
crevicular,
crew,
crew chief
Example sentences from the Web for crevasse
British Dictionary definitions for crevasse
crevasse
/ (krɪˈvæs) /
noun
a deep crack or fissure, esp in the ice of a glacier
US
a break in a river embankment
verb
(tr) US
to make a break or fissure in (a dyke, wall, etc)
Word Origin for crevasse
C19: from French:
crevice
Scientific definitions for crevasse
crevasse
[ krĭ-văs′ ]
A deep fissure in a glacier or other body of ice. Crevasses are usually caused by differential movement of parts of the ice over an uneven topography.
A large, deep fissure in the Earth caused by an earthquake.
A wide crack or breach in the bank of a river. Crevasses usually form during floods.♦ The sediments that spill out through the crevasse and fan out along the external margin of the river's bank form a crevasse splay deposit.