嶄ざん絶ぜつ

noun, na-adjective

sheer; precipitous

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.

• 嶄ざん絶ぜつたる岸がん壁ぺきが眼がん前ぜんにそびえていた。

  A sheer cliff rose before my eyes.

• その山やまは嶄ざん絶ぜつとして攀よじ登のぼることを許ゆるさない。

  The mountain is so precipitous that it does not allow climbing.