nivation

American

[nahy-vey-shuhn] / naɪˈveɪ ʃən /

noun

Geology.

erosion resulting from the action of frost beneath a snowbank.

nivation British

/ naɪˈveɪʃən /

noun

the weathering of rock around a patch of snow by alternate freezing and thawing

"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

Etymology

Origin of nivation

1895–1900; < Latin niv- (stem of nix ) snow + -ation

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023