fjord

or fiord

[fyawrd, fyohrd; Norwegian fyohr, fyoo r]

See more synonyms for fjord on Thesaurus.com

noun

a long, narrow arm of the sea bordered by steep cliffs: usually formed by glacial erosion.
(in Scandinavia) a bay.

Origin of fjord

From Norwegian; see origin at firth

Related formsfjord·ic, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for fjord

inlet, arm, ria

Examples from the Web for fjord

Contemporary Examples of fjord

The tour then goes to Norway for dives of a fjord, followed by stops in Portugal, Ukraine, Spain, and a season finale in Brazil.
The World Series of Cliff Diving Takes Itself Very Seriously
Hampton Stevens
June 29, 2014

Historical Examples of fjord

This fjord has its outlet in Barkley Sound on the west side of the island.
Indian Legends of Vancouver Island
Alfred Carmichael
But on a calm spring day, the fjord just steals in smooth and shining by ness and bay.
The Great Hunger
Johan Bojer
A sail on this fjord will bring us to Mariager, the smallest town in Denmark.
Denmark
M. Pearson Thomson
Between the trees are seen the fjord, high mountain ranges and peaks.
The Lady From The Sea
Henrik Ibsen
They have the fjord so near them, where the shoals of wild fishes pass in and out.
The Lady From The Sea
Henrik Ibsen

British Dictionary definitions for fjord

fjord

fiord

noun

(esp on the coast of Norway) a long narrow inlet of the sea between high steep cliffs formed by glacial action

Word Origin for fjord

C17: from Norwegian, from Old Norse fjörthr; see firth, ford

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

Word Origin and History for fjord

1670s, from Norwegian fiord, from Old Norse fjörðr, from North Germanic *ferthuz, from PIE *prtus, from *per- "going, passage" (see port (n.1)).

fjord in Science

fjord

[fyôrd]

A long, narrow, deep inlet from the sea between steep slopes of a mountainous coast. Fjords usually occur where ocean water flows into valleys formed near the coast by glaciers.