‖ arête
(arɛːt)
[Fr.:—OF. areste:—L. arista ear of corn, fish-bone or spine, hence, in Fr., ridge, sharp edge. Cf. arris.]
A sharp ascending ridge or ‘edge’ of a mountain. The local name in French Switzerland, whence it has become a technical term with mountain-climbers.
| 1862 Lond. Rev. 23 Aug. 164 The Weisshorn..is formed of three great ridges, like the edges of a bayonet, culminating in a beautiful pyramidal point. Two of the arêtes are probably impracticable. 1865 Sat. Rev. 29 July 141/2 Three ridges or arêtes of precipitous rock. |