nunatak

[ nuhn-uh-tak ]

/ ˈnʌn əˌtæk /

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noun

a hill or mountain that has been completely encircled by a glacier.

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Origin of nunatak

1875–80; <Inuit (West Greenlandic) nunataq

Words nearby nunatak

nummulitic limestone, numnah, numpty, numskull, nun, nunatak, nunation, Nunavut, nun buoy, nunc, Nunc Dimittis

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use nunatak in a sentence

I was on the Antarctic Search for Meteorites expedition and we were due to search this nunatak for meteorites.
What Dust From Space Tells Us About Ourselves|Natalie Wolchover|February 4, 2021|Quanta Magazine
While we were there, I decided to go and look in this moraine close to the nunatak to see if I could find any micrometeorites.
What Dust From Space Tells Us About Ourselves|Natalie Wolchover|February 4, 2021|Quanta Magazine
To the north-west, behind us, a projecting ridge of rock—Madigan Nunatak—came into sight.
The Home of the Blizzard|Douglas Mawson
To increase my excitement Madigan Nunatak came into view for a time in the clear, evening light.
The Home of the Blizzard|Douglas Mawson

A small nunatak slanted like a steel-blue shadow on the side of a white peak to the south-west.
The Home of the Blizzard|Douglas Mawson
Delayed by these and by unfavourable weather, they did not reach Madigan Nunatak until the evening of November 20.
The Home of the Blizzard|Douglas Mawson
On November 21 the party commenced the return journey, moving directly towards Madigan Nunatak to the south-west.
The Home of the Blizzard|Douglas Mawson

British Dictionary definitions for nunatak

nunatak

/ (ˈnʌnəˌtæk) /

noun

an isolated mountain peak projecting through the surface of surrounding glacial ice and supporting a distinct fauna and flora after recession of the ice

Word Origin for nunatak

C19: via Danish from Inuktitut

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