What does corrie mean?
A corrie is a rounded, amphitheatre-like hollow carved into a mountainside by glacial erosion. As a glacier sits in a shaded hollow, it plucks and abrades the rock beneath it, deepening the basin and steepening its back walls until it forms the characteristic armchair shape; meltwater often collects on its floor as a small lake known as a corrie lochan. The word is essentially Scottish English, borrowed from the Gaelic 'coire' meaning cauldron, and it remains the standard term among hillwalkers and writers describing the Highlands, where features such as Coire Lagan or the corries of Cairngorm are famous landmarks. Elsewhere in Britain and abroad, geologists usually prefer the French-derived 'cirque' or the Welsh 'cwm'. For anyone reading accounts of mountain walking in Scotland, 'corrie' is an indispensable and evocative piece of landscape vocabulary.
nounA rounded hollow on a mountainside formed by glacial erosion, typically a semicircular basin with steep back walls at the head of a glaciated valley.
- A round, armchair-shaped hollow on a mountainside carved by a glacier, especially in the Scottish Highlands.
"A small tarn glittered on the floor of the corrie beneath the summit ridge."
"Hikers climbed into the corrie to reach the snowfields that lingered long after winter."
"The map marked a deep corrie below the crags, its floor holding a cold blue lochan."
The standard plural adds -es. Some Scottish writers retain the Gaelic form 'coires', but this is rare outside local usage.
"The Cairngorm plateau is pitted with corries, each hiding its own patch of lingering snow."
The word comes straight from the Gaelic 'coire', meaning cauldron — because a corrie really does look like a giant stone pot scooped out by ice.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of corrie
Corrie entered Scots English from the Scottish Gaelic word 'coire', which literally means cauldron — a fitting image for these bowl-shaped hollows. The Gaelic term itself derives from Old Irish 'coire'. The word has been used in Scottish writing since at least the early 17th century and became established in English geographical literature through descriptions of Highland scenery. Its closest relative in general English use is the Welsh 'cwm' and the internationally adopted French 'cirque', all naming the same glacial landform.
How corrie is actually used
Chiefly used in Scotland and by British hillwalkers and geologists; elsewhere the terms 'cirque' or Welsh 'cwm' are preferred. It carries a strongly regional, outdoor-literature flavour rather than everyday usage.
Easily confused with corrie
A cirque is the same glacial landform, but 'corrie' is the Scottish term and 'cirque' the more international geological term.