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nunatak

American  
[nuhn-uh-tak] / ˈnʌn əˌtæk /

noun

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


nunatak British  
/ ˈnʌnəˌtæk /

noun

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

"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 nunatak

1875–80; < Inuit (West Greenlandic) nunataq

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Gokul’s final word was nunatak, an Inuit word for the exposed, often rocky, portion of a mountain or peak not covered with ice or snow.

From Forbes Jun. 3, 2015

For First-Timer, an Icy Challenge The wonders of Antarctica: a moraine in the foreground and a large nunatak, or exposed element of a ridge or peak within an ice field, behind it.

From New York Times Dec. 9, 2010

A nunatak sticking above the ice of the polar plateau.

From New York Times Dec. 9, 2010

A nunatak on the edge of the polar plateau with a moraine of glacial sediment trailing down one side.

From New York Times Dec. 9, 2010

At each end of the nunatak there was a very fine bergschrund.**

From The Home of the Blizzard Being the Story of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, 1911-1914 by Mawson, Douglas, Sir

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