A cleft, gorge, or steep-sided ravine, especially in South African geography; a mountain pass or valley.
From Dutch/Afrikaans kloof, ultimately from Germanic roots related to 'cleave.' The word was adopted into English through contact with Dutch settlers in South Africa.
Kloof and cloof are used throughout South African place names and geography—it's the Afrikaans word that English speakers borrowed to describe those dramatic mountain ravines!
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