ravine

n.
A deep narrow valley or gorge in the earth's surface worn by running water.

[French, from Old French, violent rush, from Latin rapīna, rapine. See ravin.]

Turns out a ravine was all that stood between a skidding airplane and a busy highway:

"THE 309 passengers and crew of Air France Flight 358 may have survived the crash landing because of — not despite — the ravine at the end of the runway."

Link: Ravine may have saved flight from worse fate

Posted August 4, 2005.

See our Word Overheard blog to see interesting uses of strange words.

n

Definition: gap in earth's surface
Antonyms: plain

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IN BRIEF: A deep gorge or hollow worn by a stream.

Walk carefully along the edge of the ravine.

Dansk (Danish)
n. - bjergkløft, slugt

Nederlands (Dutch)
ravijn

Français (French)
n. - ravin, ravine

Deutsch (German)
n. - Schlucht, Klamm

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - ρεματιά, φαράγγι, λαγκάδα

Italiano (Italian)
burrone, gola, precipizio

Português (Portuguese)
n. - barranco (m)

Русский (Russian)
овраг, ущелье

Español (Spanish)
n. - barranco

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - ravin

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
峡谷, 溪谷, 山峡

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 峽谷, 溪穀, 山峽

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 골짜기, 협곡

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 峡谷, 山峡, 谷間

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) الوهد, وادي صغير ضيق شديد الانحدار‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮גיא, עמק צר‬

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