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arête. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
arête, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
arête in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
arête you have here. The definition of the word
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English
Etymology
Borrowed from French arête, from Latin arista. Doublet of arista.
Pronunciation
Noun
arête (plural arêtes)
- (geology) A very thin ridge of rock.
2004, Richard Fortey, The Earth, Folio Society, published 2011, page 88:In his old department in Zürich, they sit in glass cases: models to the life of the peaks he had studied, with the strata painted beautifully and accurately, passing over arête and valley alike.
Translations
Anagrams
French
Etymology
Inherited from Old French areste, from Latin arista.
Pronunciation
- In Quebec French, "ê" is pronounced in closed syllables in most words. In Eastern Quebec, both arête and arrête are among the exemptions from this rule; in Western Quebec only arête is pronounced with /ɛ/, and only by some speakers.
Homophones: arêtes, arrête, arrêtes, arrêtent
Noun
arête f (plural arêtes)
- (zoology) bone (of a fish), fishbone
- edge (of an object); ridge, crest (of mountain)
- (architecture) groin (of vault)
- bridge of nose
- (botany) beard (of rye, barley etc.); awn
- (graph theory) edge
Further reading
Anagrams