sérac

or se·rac

[ si-rak; French sey-rak ]

/ sɪˈræk; French seɪˈrak /

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noun, plural sé·racs

[si-raks; French sey-rak]. /sɪˈræks; French seɪˈrak/.

a large irregularity of glacial ice, as a pinnacle found in glacial crevasses and formed by melting or movement of the ice.

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Origin of sérac

1855–60; <French sérac kind of white cheese (compare Medieval Latin serācium), ultimately <Latin serum whey

Words nearby sérac

sequoia, Sequoia National Park, Sequoya, ser, sera, sérac, seraglio, serai, Serajevo, seral, Seram

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

How to use sérac in a sentence

For many hours a way was won through a mighty turmoil of serac and over innumerable crevasses with varied fortune.
The Home of the Blizzard|Douglas Mawson
Pressing northward it was torn into the jumbled crush of serac-ice, sparkling beneath an unclouded sun.
The Home of the Blizzard|Douglas Mawson
Retracing the way out of the broken ice, we steered in a south-westerly direction, just above the line of serac and crevassed ice.
The Home of the Blizzard|Douglas Mawson
Whether a stone underfoot gave way, or whether the Admiral's voice brought down a serac of rotten wall, is not clear.
The Astonishing History of Troy Town|Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch

The region was one of serac where the glacier was puckered up, folded and crushed.
The Home of the Blizzard|Douglas Mawson

British Dictionary definitions for sérac

sérac

/ (ˈsɛræk) /

noun

a pinnacle of ice among crevasses on a glacier, usually on a steep slope

Word Origin for sérac

C19: from Swiss French: a variety of white cheese (hence the ice that it resembles) from Medieval Latin serācium, from Latin serum whey

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