The word canyon is Spanish in origin (cañón,[2] pronounced: [kaˈɲon], meaning big caña, cane in English). The word canyon is generally used in North America while the words gorge and ravine are used in Europe and Oceania, though gorge and ravine are also used in some parts of North America. In the United States, place names generally use "canyon" in the southwest and "gorge" in the northeast, with the rest of the country graduating between these two according to geography. In Canada, "gorges" are usually narrow, and "ravines" more open and often wooded. The military-derived word defile is occasionally used in the United Kingdom.