Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

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

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 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

A hill thus surrounded by ice is a nunatak.

From The Geography of the Region about Devils Lake and the Dalles of the Wisconsin by Atwood, Wallace W.

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Join 12,000,000 vocabulary learners

Start learning new words today on VocabTrainer.
You'll remember them forever.

Start training