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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.

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

Near faster ice streams, like Byrd Glacier, we found a rich assortment of igneous and metamorphic rocks, probably eroded from the upstream craton, even though the local nunatak geology exposes only Beacon and Ferrar.

From New York Times • Jan. 7, 2011

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

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

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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