cliff
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A cliff is a vertical or near vertical rock face
See also: Cliff
English
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
From Middle English clyf, from Old English clif, from Proto-West Germanic *klib, from Proto-Germanic *klibą.
Noun
cliff (plural cliffs)
- A vertical (or nearly vertical) rock face.
- Synonym: precipice
- Hyponym: escarpment
- Coordinate term: bluff
- (figurative) A point beyond which something abruptly fails or decreases in value, performance, etc.
Derived terms
- alto cliff
- ambulance at the bottom of a cliff
- American cliff swallow
- bass cliff
- benefit cliff
- benefits cliff
- bird cliff
- Cleveland
- cliffage
- cliffbound, cliff-bound
- cliffbrake
- cliffdrop
- cliffed
- cliff edge
- cliff face
- cliff-face
- cliff fall
- cliff green
- cliffgreen
- cliff-green
- cliff-hanger
- cliffhanger
- cliff hanger
- cliffing
- cliffless
- clifflet
- cliff lift
- clifflike
- cliffline
- cliff notes
- cliff railway
- cliff rose
- cliffrose
- cliffscape
- Cliffsend, Cliffs End
- cliffside
- cliff spurge
- cliff swallow
- clifftop
- cliffy
- Clifton
- fall off a cliff
- fall off the cliff
- fiscal cliff
- follow someone off a cliff
- glass cliff
- go jump off a cliff
- Heathcliff
- Kuiper cliff
- Oak Cliff
- seacliff
- treble cliff
- undercliff
- West Cliff
- White Cliff
Translations
a (near) vertical rock face
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Etymology 2
Noun
cliff (plural cliffs)
- (music) Obsolete form of clef.
- 1723, John Harris, Lexicon Technicum:
- Suppose a Person hath learnt to sing in the Treble Cliff only, and would sing Notes prick'd in the Tenor Cliff on the middle tine with F# […]
Further reading
Welsh
Pronunciation
Noun
cliff m (plural cliffiau)
Mutation
| radical | soft | nasal | aspirate |
|---|---|---|---|
| cliff | gliff | nghliff | chliff |
Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Welsh.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.
References
- R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “cleff”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies