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glacier
[ gley-sher ]
/ ˈgleɪ ʃər /
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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.
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Origin of glacier
1735–45; <dialectal French, derivative of Old French glace ice <Late Latin glacia (for Latin glaciēs)
OTHER WORDS FROM glacier
glaciered, adjectiveWords nearby glacier
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use glacier in a sentence
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
Scientific 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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural 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.
notes for glacier
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.
notes for glacier
A significant percentage of the water of the Earth is locked up in glaciers.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.