Word
tor
US/ˈtɔɹ/
UK/tˈɔː/
Definition
n. a high, rocky hill or a pile of rocks on top of a hill, common in places like South West England.
n. a prominent, craggy outcrop of rock on the summit of a hill, typically formed by the weathering of granite.
Examples
“We climbed to the top of the tor to see the view.”
“The hikers used the granite tor as a landmark to find their way across the foggy moorland.”
“Centuries of chemical weathering and physical erosion have shaped the granite into the distinctive tor formations that now dominate the local skyline.”
Examples
simple
“We climbed to the top of the tor to see the view.”
contextual
“The hikers used the granite tor as a landmark to find their way across the foggy moorland.”
complex
“Centuries of chemical weathering and physical erosion have shaped the granite into the distinctive tor formations that now dominate the local skyline.”
Usage
Commonly used in British English, specifically regarding the landscape of Devon and Cornwall.
Etymology
Acronym of The Onion Routing.
Clipping of Toronto.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Synonyms
Domains
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/tor