DictionaryRoot: crampoun
Old French

crampoun

cramp, brace, staple

1 / 1
Metal crampon securely strapped beneath a mountaineering boot grips a patch of blue ice.
noun

crampon

KRAM-pahn/ˈkræmpɑːn/

A spiked device attached to footwear for grip on ice or snow.

Etymology

Old French crampoun named a brace or staple, and the English word first described a metal bar bent for fastening. The footwear sense applies that fastening function to a spiked plate that grips ice or rock.

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