sheer cliff; precipitous peak
Literary term for a steep, near-vertical rock face or mountain peak. Rare in everyday speech; mainly encountered in classical or descriptive writing.
The mountain rose as a sheer cliff, making it extremely difficult to climb.
Composed of the rare kanji 巉 (steep, precipitous) and 巌 (rock, crag). The exact historical derivation is uncertain; the spelling is conventionally associated with the meaning of a sheer cliff.