pancake ice

American  

[pan-keyk ahys] / ˈpæn keɪk ˌaɪs /

noun

1. a grouping of circular, flat pieces of ice with raised rims, formed by the accumulation of frazil and slush on the surface water of seas and large lakes.

   They call the pancake ice this far north “the lily pads of the Arctic,” which is perfectly descriptive.

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pancake ice British  

noun

1. thin slabs of newly formed ice in polar seas

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Etymology

Origin of pancake ice

First recorded in 1810–20; ice pancake ( def. )

Example Sentences

Another neat ice effect is something called pancake ice, where gently sloshing waves cause water to freeze into tons of individual patties, rather than a solid sheet.

From Washington Post • Jan. 22, 2023

Shackleton ordered the sails raised and led the way through the loose pack and pancake ice again.

From "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong

There'll be pancake ice all around us afore dawn.

From A Man to His Mate by Mulford, Stockton

These masses, by rubbing against each other, have their edges slightly rounded up, and in this form receive the name of pancake ice.

From The Ocean and its Wonders by Ballantyne, R. M. (Robert Michael)

By the time our vessel has reached Baffin's Bay, still coasting along Greenland, in addition to old floes and bergs, the water is beset with "pancake ice."

From The International Monthly, Volume 3, No. 3, June, 1851 by Various