Meaning of cyclopean stairs | Babel Free

Definitions

1. A glaciated valley that has several consecutive hanging valleys or riegels (ridges) giving the appearance of an enormous staircase.
   plural, plural-only
2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see cyclopean, stairs. (Stairs made of huge (irregular) stones which have been fitted together.)
   plural, plural-only

Examples

“The glacier bears heaviest at the foot of the steepest part where it scoops out a plunge basin that fills with a glacial lake. It bears down with less force⟳ as it recovers from its fall⟳, loses energy coming up out of the basin it created, but then falls again to scoop out the next lake basin, and so on down the steep-walled canyon it has carved. These giant steps are what geologists call⟳ Cyclopean stairs, not only because they are giant sized, but also because each has a deep blue “eye” looking up to the sky. U-shaped canyons, massive corridors of Cyclopean stairs, each stair holding a blue jewel or two that glitters[…]”

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