icecap

[ ahys-kap ]

noun

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

icecap

/ 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

icecap

/ 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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of icecap¹

First recorded in 1850–55; ice + cap ¹

Example Sentences

One may now pick the leaves of temperate climate trees from the rocks beneath a great icecap.

From Project Gutenberg

This is one of the prime causes of a constantly changing icecap.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• ice floe
• iceberg