glacier

[ gley-sher ]

/ ˈgleɪ ʃər /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR glacier ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an extended mass of ice formed from snow falling and accumulating over the years and moving very slowly, either descending from high mountains, as in valley glaciers, or moving outward from centers of accumulation, as in continental glaciers.

RELATED WORDS

iceberg, icecap, berg, floe

Nearby words

Origin of glacier

1735–45; < dialectal French, derivative of Old French glace ice < Late Latin glacia (for Latin glaciēs)

Related formsgla·ciered, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for glacier

After 50 years, members of the Huna Tlingit people can finally collect harvest sea gull eggs again in Glacier National Park.
Nazis, Sunscreen, and Sea Gull Eggs: Congress in 2014 Was Hella Productive|Ben Jacobs|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Peacock served as an expert witness on grizzlies in federal court for Glacier National Park.
What It Takes to Kill a Grizzly Bear|Doug Peacock|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The highest density of wolverines left south of Canada is in Glacier National Park.
Who Will Save the Wolverine? Not the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service|Doug Peacock|July 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A lieutenant commander in the Navy, he was knock-out handsome with a smile that would melt a glacier.
Can Walking on the Moon Be Better Than Sex in Space?|Lily Koppel|July 6, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Bridges and Greenwalt somehow convinced Geston to drive with them to Glacier Park.
A True Hollywood Love Story|Rebecca Dana|March 10, 2010|DAILY BEAST
The view that morning from the Theodule Pass, over the glacier below, was the most wonderful I have ever enjoyed.
My Life|Josiah Flynt
Teddy, do you know we are to have some hunting to-day, and that you'll get your first experience with a glacier.
Our Little Alaskan Cousin|Mary F. Nixon-Roulet
We spent a day or two in making the general acquaintance of the glacier.
The Glaciers of the Alps|John Tyndall
I am very anxious to cross the glacier before the rain comes down.
An Impromptu Ascent of Mont Blanc|W. H. Le Mesurier
The glacier had taken to itself a cold grayness that was disconcerting.
The Silent Barrier|Louis Tracy

British Dictionary definitions for glacier

glacier

/ (ˈɡlæsɪə, ˈɡleɪs-) /

noun

a slowly moving mass of ice originating from an accumulation of snow. It can either spread out from a central mass (continental glacier) or descend from a high valley (alpine glacier)

Word Origin for glacier

C18: from French (Savoy dialect), from Old French glace ice, from Late Latin glacia, from Latin glaciēs ice

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 glacier

glacier

1744, from French glacier, from Savoy dialect glacière "moving mass of ice," from Old French glace "ice," from Vulgar Latin glacia (cf. Old Provençal glassa, Italian ghiaccia), from Latin glacies (see glacial).

Science definitions for glacier

glacier

[ glā′shər ]

A large mass of ice moving very slowly through a valley or spreading outward from a center. Glaciers form over many years from packed snow in areas where snow accumulates faster than it melts. A glacier is always moving, but when its forward edge melts faster than the ice behind it advances, the glacier as a whole shrinks backward.

Culture definitions for glacier

glacier

A large mass of ice formed over many years that does not melt during the summer. Glaciers move slowly over an area of land such as a mountain valley.

Note

Glaciers exist in high mountains throughout the temperate zones and cover most of Antarctica. Glaciers recede during warm periods and can expand during cold periods, creating ice ages.

Note

A significant percentage of the water of the Earth is locked up in glaciers.