Cliff
/klɪf/noun
A steep rock face or high, nearly vertical bank.
Did you know?In Old English, the word meant a steep slope or bank, and its deep Germanic relatives show how early speakers named danger by what the land did to them.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*klifaz
“a steep slope, bank, or cliff”
Old English
OE
clif
“a steep bank, slope, or cliff”
Old Norse
ON
klif
“a cliff, steep rock”
Middle English
ME
clif
“a steep rock face or bank”
Modern English
English
cliff
“a steep rock face or high bank”