noun, na-adjective
Archaic literary term describing a cliff or mountain face that is extremely steep, almost vertical. Not used in modern everyday Japanese; encountered mainly in classical poetry or old geographical descriptions.
嶄絶たる岸壁が眼前にそびえていた。
A sheer cliff rose before my eyes.
その山は嶄絶として攀じ登ることを許さない。
The mountain is so precipitous that it does not allow climbing.
The exact derivation is uncertain; the kanji 嶄 and 巉 both carry meanings of steepness and height, and 絶 suggests extremity, together forming a classical compound for extreme steepness.