nivation

[ nahy-vey-shuhn ]

nounGeology.
  1. erosion resulting from the action of frost beneath a snowbank.

Origin of nivation

1
1895–1900; <Latin niv- (stem of nix) snow + -ation

Words Nearby nivation

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How to use nivation in a sentence

  • Thus far only those volcanoes have been considered which have been modified by nivation.

  • The process of nivation, or snow erosion, does not always produce visible effects.

  • He has adequately shown the manner in which that phase of nivation is expressed which we find at the border of the snow.

  • It would at first sight appear impossible to distinguish between these changes through the results of nivation.

British Dictionary definitions for nivation

nivation

/ (naɪˈveɪʃən) /


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

Origin of nivation

1
C19: from Latin nix, stem niv- snow

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