Ridgelike

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Having the shape or form resembling a narrow, elongated raised strip of land or surface ; characterized by or exhibiting linear raised features similar to a ridge ; pertaining to or typified by structures that are long, narrow, and elevated along their length
2. Resembling a long, slender crest or elevated strip stretching along a surface ; marked by features that create a raised, narrow outline like that of a natural ridge ; describing an object or terrain that has a linear raised formation
3. Shaped like a narrow, raised strip similar to a ridge on terrain or object ; showing characteristics of elongated elevations forming linear raised lines ; indicating or relating to features that extend in a ridge-like fashion

Etymology: "Ridgelike" is a plain compound: the noun "ridge" combined with the suffix "-like," which means "resembling" or "having the form of." "Ridge" itself comes from Old English "hrycg," meaning the back of an animal or a human, and the term was later extended to the long, raised line along the top of a roof or the crest of a hill. That physical sense of a spine-like line is the thread that runs through the adjective. Attaching "-like" to a noun is one of the most productive ways English builds adjectives, and it works the same way for "catlike," "childlike," and "lifelike." Here the suffix tells you the thing described has the shape of a ridge without necessarily being one, so a ridgelike formation might be a rock stratum, a fold of skin, or a line of raised scales on an animal.

Synonyms: ridge-shaped, ridge-like, elongated, linear

Antonyms: flat, level