glacial

[ gley-shuhl ]

adjective

1. of or relating to glaciers or ice sheets.
2. resulting from or associated with the action of ice or glaciers:

   glacial terrain.

3. characterized by the presence of ice in extensive masses or glaciers.
4. bitterly cold; icy:

   a glacial winter wind.

   Synonyms: wintry, frigid, freezing, chill

5. happening or moving extremely slowly:

   The work proceeded at a glacial pace.

6. icily unsympathetic or immovable:

   a glacial stare; glacial indifference.

   Synonyms: hostile, unfriendly, forbidding

7. Chemistry. of, relating to, or tending to develop into icelike crystals:

   glacial phosphoric acid.

glacial

/ ˈɡleɪsɪəl; -ʃəl /

adjective

1. characterized by the presence of masses of ice
2. relating to, caused by, or deposited by a glacier
3. extremely cold; icy
4. cold or hostile in manner

   a glacial look

5. (of a chemical compound) of or tending to form crystals that resemble ice

   glacial acetic acid

6. very slow in progress

   a glacial pace

glacial

/ glā′shəl /

1. Relating to or derived from a glacier.
2. Characterized or dominated by the existence of glaciers, as the Pleistocene Epoch.

Derived Forms

• ˈglacially, adverb

Other Words From

• glacial·ly adverb
• non·glacial adjective
• non·glacial·ly adverb
• un·glacial adjective
• un·glacial·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of glacial¹

1650–60; < Latin glaciālis icy, equivalent to glaci ( ēs ) ice + -ālis -al ¹

Example Sentences

The satellite images seem to point clearly to such a landslide, rather than a typical glacial lake overflow, Shugar says.

From Science News

This research could provide a key piece of evidence in that case, by directly connecting emissions to the growth of the glacial lake.

From Popular-Science

The ice here is effectively the remnants of what were probably more extensive glacial structures in the past.

From MIT Technology Review

The astonishingly fast development of safe and effective vaccines is being stymied by the glacial pace of actual vaccinations while 3,000 Americans die each day.

From Nautilus

Researchers found that microbes collected from Icelandic glacial streams rich in dissolved hydrogen were better adapted to use the gas than those from a Canadian glacial stream where hydrogen was less plentiful.

From Popular-Science

Many thousands of years ago, glacial floods swept through the area and carved out the sloping sides of the current grounds.

From The Daily Beast

“Americans will never drive a small car,” said the man from GM with glacial confidence.

From The Daily Beast

Folks are taking cold showers already, and the weather soon will be glacial.

From The Daily Beast

My partner Brandon and I awake at the crack of dawn for a canoe ride on the milky blue glacial waters of Lake Louise.

From The Daily Beast

For a church that moves at a glacial pace, the murmurings of Bishops like Tobin are lightning fast and boldly subversive.

From The Daily Beast

Science teaches that man existed during the glacial epoch, which was at least fifty thousand years before the Christian era.

From Project Gutenberg

But scorn is far more volcanic than glacial and a poor barrier between sex and judgment.

From Project Gutenberg

Let dry, apply a cover-glass, and run glacial acetic acid underneath it.

From Project Gutenberg

Still water runs deep, they say; and a glacial cap may conceal subterranean fires.

From Project Gutenberg

Further study will reveal the fact that the difference is due to the lack of oxidation in the case of the glacial detritus.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• freezing
• frigid
• frosty
• frozen
• icy
• polar