icecap

American  

[ahys-kap] / ˈaɪsˌkæp /

noun

1. a thick cover of ice over an area, sloping in all directions from the center.

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icecap British  

/ ˈaɪsˌkæp /

noun

1. a thick mass of glacial ice and snow that permanently covers an area of land, such as either of the polar regions or the peak of a mountain

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icecap Scientific  

/ īs′kăp′ /

1. A dome-shaped body of ice and snow that covers a mountain peak or a large area and spreads out under its own weight. Ice caps have an area of less than 50,000 square km (19,500 square mi).

2. Compare ice sheet

3. A polar cap.

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Etymology

Origin of icecap

First recorded in 1850–55; ice + cap ¹

Example Sentences

We dug deep channels into the icecap and ran hundreds of meters worth of cable, we used chainsaws to cut blocks of ice that had encased the station's pillar supports.

From Salon • May 29, 2023

Many natural processes can provide this tiny increment of stress, including the movement of plate tectonics, a melting icecap, and even human activities.

From Salon • Feb. 24, 2017

To hazards like icecap cracks, nuclear leaks and rising seas, add another environmental threat: language fallout.

From New York Times • Feb. 9, 2017

Several countries have suggested melting part of the icecap by coating it with heat-absorbing carbon.

From Time Magazine Archive

The polar icecap had made Antarctica a frozen desert.

From "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong

Related Words

• ice floe
• iceberg