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Summit vs Cliff - What's the difference?

summit | cliff |

As nouns the difference between summit and cliff

is that summit is a peak; the top of a mountain while cliff is a vertical (or nearly vertical) rock face.

As a verb summit

is to reach the summit of a mountain.

As a proper noun Cliff is

a diminutive of the male given name Clifford.

summit

English

Noun

(en noun)
  • (countable) A peak; the top of a mountain.
    • In summer, it is possible to hike to the summit of Mt. Shasta.
  • (countable) A gathering or assembly of leaders.
    • They met for an international summit on environmental issues.

    Usage notes

    Colloquially summit' is used for only the highest point of a mountain, while in mountaineering any point that is higher than surrounding points is a '''summit , such as the South Summit of (Mount Everest). These are distinguished by (topographic prominence) as ''subsummits'' (low prominence) or ''independent summits (high prominence).

    Synonyms

    * acme, apex, peak, zenith

    Derived terms

    * (l) * (l)

    Verb

  • (transitive, hiking, climbing, colloquial) To reach the summit of a mountain.
  • * 2012 , Kenza Moller, "Eyes on the North," Canadian Geographic , vol. 132, no. 4 (July/Aug.) p. 10:
    • Of the range's 12 peaks, Mount Saskatchewan is the only one that has yet to be summited .

    Anagrams

    * ----

    cliff

    English

    (wikipedia cliff)

    Etymology 1

    (etyl) clif .

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A vertical (or nearly vertical) rock face.
    • Synonyms
    * precipice
    Derived terms
    * cliff swallow * cliff-face * cliffed * cliffhanger * cliffing * cliffy

    Etymology 2

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (music)
    • (Webster 1913)