meltwater

[melt-waw-ter, -wot-er]

noun

1. water from melted melt snow or ice.

meltwater

/ ˈmɛltˌwɔːtə /

noun

1. melted snow or ice

Word History and Origins

Origin of meltwater¹

First recorded in 1930–35; melt ¹ + water

Example Sentences

They collect water as snowfall - which turns into ice - during cold, wet periods, and release it as meltwater during warm periods.

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When the snowpack is gone by late summer, the glaciers that remain, often in the shadows of peaks, release meltwater that keeps streams flowing at the driest times of year.

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Extra meltwater can collect to form glacial lakes.

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Large and small lakes alike are therefore largely affected in the zone "where the base of the ice sheet melts and where that meltwater flows," Bell said.

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Hundreds of millions of people worldwide rely to some extent on seasonal meltwater from glaciers, which act like giant reservoirs to help buffer populations from drought.

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