glacier

[ gley-sher ]

/ ˈgleɪ ʃər /

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See synonyms for: glacier / glaciers 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.

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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, adjective

Words nearby glacier

glacial milk, glacial period, glacial striation, glacial valley, glaciate, glacier, Glacier Bay, glacier cream, glacier lily, glacier milk, Glacier National Park

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use glacier in a sentence

From January to March 2019 researchers used a variety of airborne and ship-based methods — including radar, sonar and gravity measurements — to examine the seafloor around the glacier and two neighboring ice shelves.
New maps show how warm water may reach Thwaites Glacier’s icy underbelly|Carolyn Gramling|September 9, 2020|Science News
The channels are deeper and more complex than previously thought, and may be funneling warm ocean water all the way to the underside of the glacier, melting it from below, the researchers found.
New maps show how warm water may reach Thwaites Glacier’s icy underbelly|Carolyn Gramling|September 9, 2020|Science News
They do, however, welcome visitors to their wild Arctic frontier, marked by 11,000-foot peaks, polar bears, and Jakobshavn, the planet’s fastest-moving glacier.
27 Epic Trips to Start Planning Now|The Editors|September 8, 2020|Outside Online
These are the shadows of mountains on Pluto—craggy peaks that are composed of deep-frozen water ice and capped with nitrogen glaciers.
These Images Expose the Dark Side of the Solar System - Issue 89: The Dark Side|Corey S. Powell|August 26, 2020|Nautilus

Joe Levy, a geologist at Colgate University who wasn’t involved with the study, thinks the glacier research is thought provoking, but does point out it “struggles to pin down a single process that is responsible for forming each valley.”
Mars may not have been the warm, wet planet we thought it was|Neel Patel|August 7, 2020|MIT Technology Review
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 first time I saw Glacier National Park, it was the magical fantasy land I had always been dreaming about,” says Chin.
Adventure Photographer Jimmy Chin: Defying the Rational, Physically and Creatively|Oliver Jones|October 6, 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
The effect of the intense ice action above noted is rapidly to wear away the rocks of the valley in which the glacier is situated.
Outlines of the Earth's History|Nathaniel Southgate Shaler
A trace of this colour is often visible even in the surface snow on the glacier, and sometimes also in our ordinary winter fields.
Outlines of the Earth's History|Nathaniel Southgate Shaler
Model a river valley whose upper part is filled with a glacier.
The Later Cave-Men|Katharine Elizabeth Dopp
He will foller ye right up the side of a glacier, but he ain't mentally constructed to take the lead.
David Lannarck, Midget|George S. Harney
The mighty glacier seemed like a great river frozen into ice, hemmed in by the steep rocks.
Rudy and Babette|Hans Christian Andersen

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.

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.

glacier

Origin of glacier

OTHER WORDS FROM glacier

Words nearby glacier

Words related to glacier

How to use glacier in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for glacier

Word Origin for glacier

Scientific definitions for glacier

Cultural definitions for glacier

notes for glacier

notes for glacier