falaise

cliff

noun fah-LEZ Rare

Usage Note

falaise refers specifically to a sea cliff or coastal rock face — most famously the chalk cliffs of Étretat in Normandy. The word is almost exclusively used for coastal or riverside cliffs; an inland rocky escarpment would more likely be called une paroi or un escarpement.

Examples

"Les falaises de Normandie sont magnifiques."

Natural Translation

The cliffs of Normandy are magnificent.

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