Crevasse & Crevice - What's the difference?

Photo by Yardley

CREVASSE

Noun. Early 19th century.

[French (Old French) crevace. See crevice.]

1 A (usually deep) fissure or chasm in the ice of a glacier;

transferred a deep crack or chasm. E19

2 A breach in the bank or levee of a river, canal, etc. US. E19

Photo by Blake Bentley

CREVICE

[Old French crevace (modern crevasse noun), from crever to burst, split, from Latin crepare rattle, crack, break with a crash.]

1 An opening produced by a crack, especially in rock, a building, etc.;

a cleft; a fissure; a chink. ME

2 specifically MINING. A fissure in which a deposit or ore or metal is found. M19

Crevasse and crevice, being of the same derivation and sounding somewhat similar, are commonly confused, but the difference is quite simple. A crevasse is a deep fissure, roughly synonymous with both chasm and abyss, and traditionally refers to plunging breaches one can find in glaciers. A crevice, on the other hand, is a much smaller aperture, usually in rock, and its synonyms crack, cleft and chink well illustrate the difference in scale. To remember the difference, just note that crevasse is the bigger of the two words, just as crevasse is the bigger of the two formations.

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