Posted by David Bamford on February 21, 2005 at 21:41:33 from 220.253.46.103 user David.
In Reply to: Re: Guardian posted by John Nichols on February 21, 2005 at 19:15:45:
A cirque is where the mountains form a circular ridge around, as Ian said, a bowl-shaped depression. This is the birthplace of a glacier,its point of origin. Look at the head of any alpine glacier [not the Greenland or Antarctic Ice-cap] and you'll see what I mean. The word is obviously of French origin. The German version is 'bergschrund'. If someone else has a perfectly serviceable word for something, you can bet that the English language will appropriate it. The Lake District topography is a classical example of glacial origin; U-shaped valleys, cirques, the lot!
David