floe
Americannoun
-
Also called ice floe. a sheet of floating ice, chiefly on the surface of the sea, smaller than an ice field.
-
a detached floating portion of such a sheet.
noun
Etymology
Origin of floe
First recorded in 1810–20; perhaps from Norwegian flo “layer” (compare Old Norse flō “layer, level”); cognate with Old English flōh “piece, flagstone”; cf. flaw 1
Explanation
An ice floe is a large, free-floating, flat chunk of ice floating in the ocean. Beware: if you're at the North Pole, you could get stranded on an ice floe along with polar bears and other arctic creatures. A floe can vary in size from small to giant, but they differ from icebergs in their relative lack of depth. When you spot an iceberg, it’s often just the tip of what’s there, but with a floe, what you see is what you get. The floe edge is where the ice that is still attached to the land, having frozen over the winter months, meets the sea. When the floe edge fractures, the ice floe floats out to sea.
Vocabulary lists containing floe
The Subtle Knife
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The Boy Who Dared
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for February 5–February 11, 2022
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Members of the public alerted the local authorities when they saw a man going onto an ice floe to approach the animal.
From BBC • Apr. 27, 2024
The rescues failed, and four people fell into the water before being taken back to the floe to warm up in a shelter, the sheriff’s office wrote.
From Washington Times • Dec. 30, 2023
It took about 2 1/2 hours to finally evacuate 122 people from the ice floe, and no injuries were reported, according to the sheriff’s office.
From Seattle Times • Dec. 29, 2023
Frederik Bussmann took water samples from the edge of an ice floe on the Arctic Ocean last month.Credit...
From New York Times • Sep. 22, 2023
The hunters thought they could reach him in a few hours if the wind didn't move the ice floe away from the shore.
From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
