roche moutonnée
[rohsh moot-n-ey; French rawsh moo-taw-ney]
- a rounded, glacially eroded rock outcrop, usually one of a group, resembling a sheep's back.
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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
roche moutonnée
- a rounded mass of rock smoothed and striated by ice that has flowed over it
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Word Origin
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 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).
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
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