snow line

noun

: the lower margin of a perennial snowfield

Examples of snow line in a Sentence

climbing above the snow line
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The snow line is particularly important in the early days of a solar system, as the cloud of dust and gas that surrounds a nascent star begins to coalesce into the protoplanetary disk from which the system’s planets and other orbiting bodies will eventually form. Tom Hawking, Popular Science, 29 Jan. 2025 Kines said the snow line will likely fall on Pennsylvania's southern border. John Bacon, USA TODAY, 6 Feb. 2025 This means that objects formed beyond the snow line are relatively rich in water, and one leading theory about the origin of the water on Earth is that it was acquired by the capture of such water-rich objects. Tom Hawking, Popular Science, 29 Jan. 2025 Parts of the southern Sierra Nevada mountain range below the snow line could see 4 to 8 inches of rain through Monday night. Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 25 Nov. 2024 See All Example Sentences for snow line

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1835, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of snow line was circa 1835

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Cite this Entry

“Snow line.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/snow%20line. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

snow line

noun
: the lower edge of an area of permanent snow (as a mountain peak)

More from Merriam-Webster on snow line

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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