Experts assume that the Polish and Slovak name Rysy, meaning "scratches" or "crevices", refers to a series of couloirs, either those on the western slopes of Żabie Ridge or the very prominent 500 m (1,600 ft) high couloir and numerous smaller on the northern side. A folk explanation on the Slovak side says that the name comes from the plural word rysy meaning "lynxes", although the habitat of the lynx does not extend above the timberline.