cirque

A bowl-shaped, steep-sided hollow formed at the head of a mountain valley by the erosion of ice in glaciated regions; termed corrie or cwm in Scotland and Wales respectively. Two cirques cutting back into a ridge form an arete, while three or more result in pyramidal peaks such as the Matterhorn in the Alps.

Cirque has several meanings:

A cirque (landform) is an amphitheatre-like valley of glacial origin, formed by glacial erosion at the head of the glacier. Cirque is French for circus. For example, see Cirque du Soleil, Cirque de Flambe. Cirque Corporation is a company that makes touchpads. Cirque Nouveau, a relatively new form of performing art where a story or a theme is conveyed by using the traditional circus arts. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.