Cluse
//kluz// noun
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A defile or narrow gorge, especially one that cuts transversely through the rock of an otherwise continuous ridge.
"[...] others are bounded by the steep walls of the cluses, these being the most picturesque; others, again, occupy the combes referred to above."
Example
More examples"[...] others are bounded by the steep walls of the cluses, these being the most picturesque; others, again, occupy the combes referred to above."
Etymology
In many cases, italicized as a borrowing of French cluse. In Early Modern texts, possibly a continuation of Middle English cluse, Old English clūse (“narrow pass”).
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.