Crevasse
/krəˈvæs/noun
A deep, open crack or fissure in a glacier or ice sheet.
Did you know?Crevasse ultimately traces to Latin crepare, meaning “to rattle, crack, or make a sharp sound,” the same root behind English words such as “decrepit” and “discrepant.”
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ker-
“To strike, make a sharp sound, or produce a cracking noise”
Classical Latin
Latin
crepare
“To rattle, crack, creak, or make a sharp sound”
Late Latin
Late Latin
crepācia
“A crack, fissure, or opening”
Old French
Old French
crevace
“A crack or split in a surface”
16th Century
French
crevasse
“A cleft or deep fissure, especially in the earth or ice”
19th Century
English
crevasse
“A deep crack in a glacier or snowfield”
Explore more surprising origins