roche moutonnée

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

/ ˈroʊʃ ˌmut nˈeɪ; French rɔʃ mu tɔˈneɪ /

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noun Geology.

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

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Also called sheepback rock.

Origin of roche moutonnée

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

Words nearby roche moutonnée

Roche limit, Rochelle, Rochelle powder, Rochelle powders, Rochelle salt, roche moutonnée, Rochester, rochet, rock, rockabilly, rock-a-bye

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use roche moutonnée in a sentence

Plus, Roche added, since running as an outsider in 2010, Ellmers has cozied up to leadership.
Tea Party Eats Their Own|David Freedlander|March 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But her backing of immigration reform convinced Roche to throw his own hat into the ring.
Tea Party Eats Their Own|David Freedlander|March 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The name Robert W. Roche appears 11 times in the White House visitors log during the Obama administration.
The Illegal-Donor Loophole|Peter Schweizer, Peter J. Boyer|October 8, 2012|DAILY BEAST
He only serves one menu each day, which almost always begins with a Soupe de Poissons de roche.
Fresh Picks|John Besh|November 17, 2009|DAILY BEAST

Jean Roche offers himself in marriage, but she will have none of him; she loves the vision seen beneath the waves.
Frdric Mistral|Charles Alfred Downer
Strong feeling was aroused about the affair, because Roche was wrongly identified with a notorious duellist of the day.
Private Letters of Edward Gibbon (1753-1794) Volume 1 (of 2)|Edward Gibbon
As Sir Boyle Roche might have said, it grated harshly upon an ear that had a dubious check in its pocket.
The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce|Ambrose Bierce
Miss Roche was sentenced to be transported for fourteen years; her servant was acquitted; and Rann was left for execution.
The Chronicles of Crime or The New Newgate Calendar. v. 1/2|Camden Pelham
La Roche conjured me in behalf of Madam de Luxembourg to rise and go and speak to her.
The Confessions of J. J. Rousseau, Complete|Jean Jacques Rousseau

British Dictionary definitions for roche moutonnée

roche moutonnée

/ (ˈrəʊʃ ˌmuːtəˈneɪ) /

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

Scientific definitions for roche moutonnée

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).