GLACIER Definition & Meaning

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glacier

[ gley-sher ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

an extended mass of ice formed from snow falling and accumulating over the years and moving very slowly, either descending from high mountains, as in valley glaciers, or moving outward from centers of accumulation, as in continental glaciers.

glacier

/ ˈɡlæsɪə; ˈɡleɪs- /

noun

a slowly moving mass of ice originating from an accumulation of snow. It can either spread out from a central mass ( continental glacier ) or descend from a high valley ( alpine glacier )

glacier

/ ��′��ə�� /

A large mass of ice moving very slowly through a valley or spreading outward from a center. Glaciers form over many years from packed snow in areas where snow accumulates faster than it melts. A glacier is always moving, but when its forward edge melts faster than the ice behind it advances, the glacier as a whole shrinks backward.

glacier

A large mass of ice formed over many years that does not melt during the summer. Glaciers move slowly over an area of land such as a mountain valley.

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Notes

A significant percentage of the water of the Earth is locked up in glaciers.

Glaciers exist in high mountains throughout the temperate zones and cover most of Antarctica . Glaciers recede during warm periods and can expand during cold periods, creating ice ages .

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Other �y��vlog Forms

��c�� adjective

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of glacier¹

1735–45; < dialectal French, derivative of Old French glace ice < Late Latin glacia (for Latin ��ŧ�� )

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of glacier¹

C18: from French (Savoy dialect), from Old French glace ice, from Late Latin glacia, from Latin ��ŧ�� ice

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Heard Island, though, is barren, icy and completely uninhabited - home to Australia's largest and only active volcano, Big Ben, and mostly covered by glaciers.

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In 2021, near 100 people died in Uttarakhand after a piece of a Himalayan glacier fell into the river, triggering flash floods.

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The world's glaciers are melting faster than ever recorded under the impact of climate change, according to the most comprehensive scientific analysis to date.

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Paul Bierman is a geoscientist and professor of natural resources at the University of Vermont with 40 years of experience studying glaciers and ice sheets.

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Global sea levels are rising mainly due to a combination of melting glaciers and ice sheets, and the fact that warmer water takes up more space.

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