firn

[ feern ]

See synonyms for firn on Thesaurus.com

noun

névé.

Origin of firn

1850–55; <German (Swiss), noun use of firn last year's, old; cognate with Old English fyrn former, ancient, Gothic fairneis; akin to Old Norse forn ancient. See before

Words Nearby firn

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use firn in a sentence

The small firn also rises with a common footstalk from the radix and are from four to eight in number.
The Journals of Lewis and Clark | Meriwether Lewis and William Clark
firn, firn, or fern, n. snow on high glaciers while still granular—the French nv.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 2 of 4: E-M) | Various

British Dictionary definitions for firn

firn

/ (fɪən) /

noun

another name for névé (def. 1)

Origin of firn

C19: from German (Swiss dialect) firn of the previous year, from Old High German firni old

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 firn

firn

[ fîrn ]

Granular, partially consolidated snow that has passed through one summer melt season but is not yet glacial ice. Firn becomes glacial ice once it has become impermeable to liquid water.

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