Scree
/skriː/noun
A mass of loose stones or rock fragments covering a slope, especially at the base of a cliff or mountain.
Did you know?The word is linked to Old Norse skriða, describing a landslide or sliding mass, preserving a vivid linguistic image of mountains in motion.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*skrīþaną
“To move or slide along”
Old Norse
Old Norse
skriða
“A landslide, avalanche, or mass of earth and rock sliding downhill”
Middle Scots
Scots
scree
“A steep rocky slope or loose stones on a mountainside”
18th Century
English
scree
“Loose stones accumulating at the foot of a cliff or mountain”
Modern English
English
scree
“A slope or covering of loose rock fragments”