glacier

[gley-sher] /ˈgleɪ ʃər/

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.

Origin

1735-45; < dialectal French, derivative of Old French glace ice < Late Latin glacia (for Latin glaciēs)

Related forms

glaciered, adjective

Examples from the web for glaciers

glaciers sliding into the sea powder it with small icebergs.
In addition, global warming melts glaciers and causes snow to fall as rain.
In addition, by melting glaciers, global warming reduces nature's storage capacity.
Two-thirds of the world's fresh water is stored in glaciers.
The glaciers there have been reducing in size for decades.
Equatorial glaciers will melt and river-flows fall, even as demand for water rises.
glaciers are tiny and transient on the tectonic-plate scale.
They did this by studying the natural records of climate in tree rings, ice cores from glaciers, and coral reefs.
The report also referred to the problem of glaciers and mountain snow melting around the world.
Ice climbing involves using picks and ropes to ascend frozen waterfalls and glaciers.

British Dictionary definitions for 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)

Word Origin

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

Word Origin and History for glaciers

glacier

1744, from French glacier, from Savoy dialect glacière "moving mass of ice," from Old French glace "ice," from Vulgar Latin glacia (cf. Old Provençal glassa, Italian ghiaccia), from Latin glacies (see glacial).

glaciers in Science

glacier

(glā'shər)
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.

glaciers in Culture

glacier definition

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.

Note: 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.

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