English

Noun

cirque ‎(plural cirques)

1. (geology) A curved depression in a mountainside with steep walls, forming the end of a valley.
   • 1982, TC Boyle, Water Music, Penguin 2006, p. 344:

     Of course it's going to be bad whever the clouds let loose, but up here pussyfooting along the perimeter of toothy cirques and dead drops of anywhere from eighty to three hundred feet, it would be a disaster.

Synonyms

• corrie
• cwm

Translations

References

1. ↑ A grammar of modern Indo-European, p. 398, 3rd paragraph
2. ↑ The American heritage dictionary of Indo-European roots, p. 78, entry for "(s)ker-3

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin circus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /siʁk/

Noun

cirque m ‎(plural cirques)

1. circus
2. (geology) cirque
3. (historical) a circular arena, such as in the ancient Roman Empire
   • 1875 (year of first performance), Chanson du Toréador from Carmen by Bizet

     le cirque est plein de sang

     The arena is full of blood

4. (colloquial) a mess, a disorder

   C'est quoi ce cirque !

Derived terms

• circassien

Anagrams

• crique