crevasse

noun

cre·​vasse kri-ˈvas 

1

: a breach in a levee

2

: a deep crevice or fissure (as in a glacier or the earth)

The climber narrowly missed slipping into a crevasse.

Did you know?

What's the difference between a crevice and a crevasse?

Crevice and crevasse are very similar words: both come from Old French crever "to break or burst" and both refer to an opening of some kind. In fact, you can say that the only notable distinction between the two is the size of the openings they denote—and that one of them—crevice—is far more common than the other.

A crevice is a narrow opening resulting from a split or crack. In nature, crevices exist mostly in rocks and cliffs, but writers sometimes use the word for similar openings found in other materials, as in "crumbs in the crevices of the cushion." The word also is used metaphorically, as in "the cracks and crevices of memory."

Crevasse refers to a deep hole or fissure in a glacier or in the earth. In most instances, the word appears with enough context that the depth of the opening is easy enough to figure out, as in "a climber who fell 30 feet into a crevasse."

You'll sometimes find crevice used where crevasse is expected—probably because it's the word people are more familiar with. One way to remember the distinction between crevice and crevasse is that the i in crevice, the smaller hole, is a thinner letter than a in crevasse, the larger hole. Or, should you step into a crevasse, perhaps you'll have time for a lot of "Ahhhs"?

Examples of crevasse in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Unlike dogs, rats can wriggle through the cracks and crevasses of a container ship. —Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 30 Oct. 2024

Never mind that no one had ever built a nuclear locomotive or run rails through tunnels crossing constantly shifting crevasses. —Paul Bierman, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 Sep. 2024

At the edge of the site, a crevasse had opened, swallowing a tree. —Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2024

Glaciers are becoming increasingly unstable, more rock and sediment tumbles from them and crevasses grow faster. —Laura Paddison, CNN, 21 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

French, from Old French crevace — see crevice

First Known Use

1813, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

crevasse

noun

cre·​vasse kri-ˈvas 

: a deep crevice (as in a glacier)