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esker

[ es-ker ]
/ ˈɛs kər /
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noun Geology.
a serpentine ridge of gravelly and sandy drift, believed to have been formed by streams under or in glacial ice.
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Origin of esker

First recorded in 1850–55, esker is from the Irish word eiscir ridge of mountains
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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British Dictionary definitions for esker

esker

eskar (ˈɛskɑː, -kə)

/ (ˈɛskə) /

noun
a long winding ridge of gravel, sand, etc, originally deposited by a meltwater stream running under a glacierAlso called: os

Word Origin for esker

C19: from Old Irish escir ridge
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for esker

esker
[ ĕskər ]

A long, narrow, steep-sided ridge of coarse sand and gravel deposited by a stream flowing in or under a melting sheet of glacial ice. Eskers range in height from 3 m (9.8 ft) to more than 200 m (656 ft) and in length from less than 100 m (328 ft) to more than 500 km (310 mi).
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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