roche moutonnée

[rohsh moot-n-ey; French rawsh moo-taw-ney]

noun Geology.

a rounded, glacially eroded rock outcrop, usually one of a group, resembling a sheep's back.

Origin of roche moutonnée

1835–45; < French: glaciated rock, literally, fleecy rock

Also called sheepback rock.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

British Dictionary definitions for roche moutonnee

roche moutonnée

noun plural roches moutonnées (ˈrəʊʃ ˌmuːtəˈneɪz)

a rounded mass of rock smoothed and striated by ice that has flowed over it

Word Origin for roche moutonnée

C19: French, literally: fleecy rock, from mouton sheep

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

roche moutonnee in Science

roche moutonnée

[rôsh′ mōōt′n-ā′, mōō′tô-nā′]

An elongate mound of bedrock worn smooth and rounded by glacial abrasion. A roche moutonnée has a long axis parallel to the direction of glacial movement, a gently sloping, striated side facing the direction from which the glacier originated, and a steeper side facing the direction of glacial movement. The height, length, and width of roche moutonnées are on the order of a few meters (tens of feet).