A vocabulary of landscape — a landscape of words
975 entries
switchback
A sharp, reversing turn in a trail or road ascending a steep slope, zigzagging back and forth to reduce the gradient. Switchbacks trade distance for steepness — you walk farther but climb more gently. They are the engineering solution to the problem of gravity on foot.
Etymology
English compound, originally a railroad term for a track that reverses direction to gain elevation. The “switch” is the reversal.