# figure 4

> English word · Noun

## Definitions
1. A technical climbing technique used in ice climbing to gain a respite and lessen slack and distance from the undersurface/ceiling which one is climbing underneath, which appears like a number "4" in shape, with one arm anchoring the climber to the surface while hanging upside-down, and one leg wrapped around that arm, forming a figurative "4" in shape.
2. Alternative form of figure four.

## Etymology
From figure + 4. From the shape of the glyph "4", and creating a figure akin to that shape.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/figure-4