This article is about a glacial landform. See Arete for other meanings. Arete (Greek: Αρετή) can refer to several different concepts, people, and things: Arete is an Ancient Greek word, meaning excellence. Arete became more specific when applied to moral character, and is normally translated as virtue. ...

An 'arête' is a thin, almost knife-like, ridge of rock. Arêtes are typically formed when two glaciers erode parallel U-shaped valleys. An arete is the thin ridge of rock that is left separating the two valleys. Arêtes can also form when two glacial cirques erode towards one another, although frequently this results in a saddle-shaped pass, called a col. Photo of The Garden Wall, an arete in Glacier National Park (U.S.). Source URL: http://www. ... Sedimentary, volcanic, plutonic, metamorphic rock types of North America. ... A glacier is a large, long-lasting river of ice that is formed on land and moves in response to gravity. ... A cirque is an amphitheatre-like valley of glacial origin, formed by glacial erosion at the head of the glacier. ... Col may refer to: the French word for mountain pass a common abbreviation for the military rank colonel This is a disambiguation page, a list of pages that otherwise might share the same title. ...

Notable examples of arêtes include:

• Clouds Rest, in the Sierra Nevada, USA
• The Garden Wall, in Glacier National Park (US) (image to right)