Canyoneering

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The sport of descending through narrow gorges and canyons using climbing techniques, rappelling, and swimming
2. The recreational activity of traversing canyons by combining rappelling, climbing, and water navigation through steep rocky passages
3. The adventure sport involving descent through narrow gorges using ropes, climbing skills, and swimming to navigate natural canyon systems

Etymology: Canyoneering is a compound of "canyon" and the suffix "-eer" (as in "mountaineer" or "pioneer"), plus the noun-forming "-ing." The first part traces back through Spanish "cañón," meaning a tube or large tube, to a Latin root associated with cane or reed, and English took "canyon" from Spanish, most often in the American Southwest, where Spanish-speaking settlers and explorers described deep river-cut gorges. The sport itself is a much more recent formation. The word was built on "canyon" in the same way that "mountaineering" was built on "mountain," naming an activity by its setting and the skill it requires. Its exact date of first use is not something this account can confirm, so the record of its earliest appearance is best checked in a dictionary of recent English.