gorge
n. countablen. a deep, narrow valley with steep rocky sides, often with a river running through it.
n. a narrow valley between hills or mountains, typically with steep rocky walls and a stream running through the bottom.
The hikers walked along the edge of the deep gorge.
A narrow bridge spans the gorge, connecting the two mountain villages that were once isolated by the steep cliffs.
Over millions of years, the relentless flow of the river carved a spectacular gorge through the limestone plateau, revealing layers of ancient geological history.
From Middle English gorge (“esophagus, gullet; throat; bird's crop; food in a hawk's crop; food or drink that has been eaten”), a borrowing from Old French gorge (“throat”) (modern French gorge (“throat; breast”)), from Vulgar Latin gorga, gurga, from Latin gurges (“eddy, whirlpool; gulf; sea”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *gʷerh₃- (“to devour, swallow; to eat”). The English word is cognate with Galician gorxa (“throat”), Italian gorga, gorgia (“gorge, ravine; (obsolete) throat”), Occitan gorga, gorja, Portuguese gorja (“gullet, throat; gorge”), Spanish gorja (“gullet, throat; gorge”). Doublet of gour and gurges.
The verb is derived from Middle English gorgen (“to eat greedily; to gorge”), a borrowing from Old French gorger, gorgier (modern French gorger (“to eat greedily; to gorge”)), from gorge (“throat”); see further at etymology 1. The noun is derived from the verb.
Clipping of gorge(ous); originally British slang.
Often used with 'deep', 'narrow', or 'steep' to describe the physical landscape.