arête
Sharp rocky crest
An arête is a sharp, narrow ridge of rock, typically formed when glaciers erode both sides of a mountain slope.
The term comes from French for "fishbone" or "ridge," reflecting the knife-edge quality of these formations: We traversed the arête between the two peaks.
In a separate sense, arête is the ancient Greek concept of excellence or virtue—the fulfillment of one's purpose or potential.
Highest point or tuft
- knife-edgeCritically narrow margin
- razorbackFeral hog with dorsal ridge
- colSpreadsheet vertical section
- saddleMounted rider's seat
spine · backbone · escarpment · spur · cordillera · sierra · buttress · cornice
Critically narrow margin
- razorBlade for removing hair
- bladeFlat cutting edge
- keenSharp or enthusiastic
- acuteIntensely severe or perceptive
narrow · precipitous · exposed · jagged · serrated · honed · cutting · fine
Sport of climbing peaks
- alpinismHigh-altitude peak climbing
- scramblingMoving clumsily in haste
- exposureState of being unprotected
- traverseMove across an area
technical · route · ascent · expedition · rappel · belay · crampon · rope
Slow-moving ice mass
- cirqueGlacier-carved mountain basin
- hornPointed animal headgear
- moraineGlacier-deposited debris pile
- erosionGradual wearing away
ice age · glaciation · Matterhorn · névé · tarn · cwm · headwall · alpine
Outstanding quality or merit
- virtueMoral goodness or merit
- AristotleGreek founder of formal logic
- ethicsStudy of right conduct
- masteryComplete skill or control
character · moral · philosophy · skillfulness · flourishing · cultivation · ideal · perfection
crest
Highest point or tuft
- knife-edgeCritically narrow margin
- razorbackFeral hog with dorsal ridge
- colSpreadsheet vertical section
saddle · spine · backbone · escarpment · spur · cordillera · sierra · buttress · cornice · pinnacle
knife-edge
Critically narrow margin
acute · narrow · precipitous · exposed · jagged · serrated · honed · cutting · fine · tapered
mountaineering
Sport of climbing peaks
- alpinismHigh-altitude peak climbing
- scramblingMoving clumsily in haste
- exposureState of being unprotected
traverse · technical · route · ascent · expedition · rappel · belay · crampon · rope · pitch
glacier
Slow-moving ice mass
erosion · ice age · glaciation · Matterhorn · névé · tarn · cwm · headwall · alpine · geomorphology
excellence
Outstanding quality or merit
mastery · character · moral · philosophy · skillfulness · flourishing · cultivation · ideal · perfection · telos
- mountain terrainpeak, slope, gorge, pass, cirque
- Winter Terrainsnow, ice field, snowdrift, snowpack, frozen tundra
- glaciersglacier, crevasse, glacial movement, moraine, iceberg
- alpine zonealpine meadow, alpine lakes, alpine plants, alpine lake, alpine zone
- glacial featuresmoraine, crevasse, aretes, drumlin, drumlins
- polar iceiceberg, ice sheet, ice cap, ice floe, Greenland ice sheet
arêtevice
Bad habit or deputy
degeneracy · corruption · baseness · depravity · turpitude
arêterolling hills
Gently rising, falling landscape
plateau · dome · gentle slope · moraine · roche moutonnée