crampon
crampon Lexical Profile
crampon Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A metal plate with sharp spikes attached to the sole of a boot to provide traction on ice and snow, commonly used in mountaineering and ice climbing.
"Before ascending the frozen waterfall, the climbers carefully strapped crampons to their boots."
A grappling iron or similar hooked device used for lifting heavy objects such as stones or timber.
"The medieval stonemason used a large iron crampon attached to a winch to hoist the heavy granite blocks into place."
• verb
To climb or walk on ice or snow using boots equipped with spiked metal plates.
"We spent the entire afternoon cramponing up the steep, icy slope toward the summit."
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed from Old French 'crampon' (hook, grappling iron), ultimately from a Frankish or Germanic root (*krampo) related to 'cramp'.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.