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ridge (rĭj)
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n.
1. A long narrow upper section or crest: the ridge of a wave.
2.
a. A long, narrow, elevated section of the earth's surface, such as a chain of hills or mountains or the divide between adjacent valleys.
b. A long mountain range on the ocean floor.
3. A narrow, elongated zone of relatively high atmospheric pressure. Also called wedge.
4. A long, narrow, or crested part of the body: the ridge of the nose.
5. The horizontal line formed by the juncture of two sloping planes, especially the line formed by the surfaces at the top of a roof.
6. A narrow, raised strip, as in cloth or on plowed ground.
v. ridged, ridg·ing, ridg·es
v.tr.
To mark with, form into, or provide with a ridge or ridges.
v.intr.
To form a ridge or ridges.
[Middle English rigge, from Old English hrycg; see sker-2 in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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