glacier

noun

gla·​cier ˈglā-shər 

also

-zhər 

 especially British  ˈgla-sē-ə,

 or  ˈglā-sē-ə

: a large body of ice moving slowly down a slope or valley or spreading outward on a land surface

Examples of glacier in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The glaciers of Monte Tronador shimmer under sunbeams in the western sky as teenagers splash in the frigid meltwaters of the neighboring bay. —Mark Johanson, Robb Report, 30 Nov. 2024

This vertical land movement occurs as land masses slowly rebound from the weight of past ice age glaciers. —Kate S. Petersen, Austin American-Statesman, 30 Nov. 2024

Arctic Ice, a Greenland start-up, began shipping ice from glaciers to cocktail bars in the United Arab Emirates in 2024. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 29 Nov. 2024

For hers and other nearby communities, the melting of the glaciers is a practical catastrophe: The snowy mountains provide water for drinking and agriculture, and also foster a tourist economy. —New York Times, 4 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

French, from Middle French dialect (Franco-Provençal), from glace ice, from Latin glacies; akin to Latin gelu frost — more at cold

First Known Use

1744, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

glacier

noun

gla·​cier ˈglā-shər 

: a large body of ice moving slowly down a slope or valley or spreading outward on a land surface