Definitions for GLACIER
ˈgleɪ ʃərglacier

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:3.8 / 4 votes

1. glaciernoun

   a slowly moving mass of ice

WiktionaryRate this definition:2.3 / 3 votes

1. glaciernoun

   A large body of ice which flows under its own mass, usually downhill.

2. Etymology: glacier, from glace, from glacies, from gel-.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Glacier

   A glacier (US: ; UK: ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires distinguishing features, such as crevasses and seracs, as it slowly flows and deforms under stresses induced by its weight. As it moves, it abrades rock and debris from its substrate to create landforms such as cirques, moraines, or fjords. Although a glacier may flow into a body of water, it forms only on land and is distinct from the much thinner sea ice and lake ice that form on the surface of bodies of water. On Earth, 99% of glacial ice is contained within vast ice sheets (also known as "continental glaciers") in the polar regions, but glaciers may be found in mountain ranges on every continent other than the Australian mainland, including Oceania's high-latitude oceanic island countries such as New Zealand. Between latitudes 35°N and 35°S, glaciers occur only in the Himalayas, Andes, and a few high mountains in East Africa, Mexico, New Guinea and on Zard-Kuh in Iran. With more than 7,000 known glaciers, Pakistan has more glacial ice than any other country outside the polar regions. Glaciers cover about 10% of Earth's land surface. Continental glaciers cover nearly 13 million km2 (5 million sq mi) or about 98% of Antarctica's 13.2 million km2 (5.1 million sq mi), with an average thickness of 2,100 m (7,000 ft). Greenland and Patagonia also have huge expanses of continental glaciers. The volume of glaciers, not including the ice sheets of Antarctica and Greenland, has been estimated at 170,000 km3.Glacial ice is the largest reservoir of fresh water on Earth, holding with ice sheets about 69 percent of the world's freshwater. Many glaciers from temperate, alpine and seasonal polar climates store water as ice during the colder seasons and release it later in the form of meltwater as warmer summer temperatures cause the glacier to melt, creating a water source that is especially important for plants, animals and human uses when other sources may be scant. However, within high-altitude and Antarctic environments, the seasonal temperature difference is often not sufficient to release meltwater. Since glacial mass is affected by long-term climatic changes, e.g., precipitation, mean temperature, and cloud cover, glacial mass changes are considered among the most sensitive indicators of climate change and are a major source of variations in sea level. A large piece of compressed ice, or a glacier, appears blue, as large quantities of water appear blue. This is because water molecules absorb other colors more efficiently than blue. The other reason for the blue color of glaciers is the lack of air bubbles. Air bubbles, which give a white color to ice, are squeezed out by pressure increasing the created ice's density.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. glacier

   A glacier is a large, slow-moving mass of ice formed from compacted layers of snow, that slowly deforms and flows in response to gravity. It is found in areas where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation (melting and sublimation) over many years, often centuries. Glaciers can be found in polar regions, high mountains, and under certain conditions, closer to the equator. They play a significant role in earth's water cycle and can significantly shape the landscape through processes like erosion and deposition.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:4.6 / 7 votes

1. Glaciernoun

   an immense field or stream of ice, formed in the region of perpetual snow, and moving slowly down a mountain slope or valley, as in the Alps, or over an extended area, as in Greenland

2. Etymology: [F. glacier, fr. glace ice, L. glacies.]

WikidataRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

1. Glacier

   A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. Glaciers slowly deform and flow due to stresses induced by their weight, creating crevasses, seracs, and other distinguishing features. They also abrade rock and debris from their substrate to create landforms such as cirques and moraines. Glaciers form only on land and are distinct from the much thinner sea ice and lake ice that form on the surface of bodies of water. On Earth, 99% of glacial ice is contained within vast ice sheets in the polar regions, but glaciers may be found in mountain ranges of every continent except Australia, and on a few high-latitude oceanic islands. Between 35°N and 35°S, glaciers occur only in the Himalayas, Andes, a few high mountains in East Africa, Mexico, New Guinea and on Zard Kuh in Iran. Glacial ice is the largest reservoir of freshwater on Earth, supporting one third of the world's population. Many glaciers store water during one season and release it later as meltwater, a water source that is especially important for plants, animals and human uses when other sources may be scant.

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:1.0 / 1 vote

1. Glacier

   glā′shēr, or glas′i-ėr, n. a field or, more properly, a slowly moving river of ice, such as is found in the hollows and on the slopes of lofty mountains. [Fr.,—glace, ice—L. glacies, ice.]

The Nuttall EncyclopediaRate this definition:5.0 / 2 votes

1. Glacier

   a more or less snow-white mass of ice occupying an Alpine valley and moving slowly down its bed like a viscous substance, being fed by semi-melted snow at the top called nevé and forming streams at the bottom; it has been defined by Prof. J. D. Forbes (q. v.) as "a viscous body which is urged down slopes of a certain inclination by the mutual pressure of its parts"; in the Alps alone they number over 1000, have an utmost depth of 1500 ft., and an utmost length of 12 m.

Matched Categories

1. • Ice Mass

Anagrams for GLACIER »

1. gracile

How to pronounce GLACIER?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say GLACIER in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of GLACIER in Chaldean Numerology is: 9

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of GLACIER in Pythagorean Numerology is: 1

Examples of GLACIER in a Sentence

1. Nancy Abell:

   I felt like, being from Germany, she wasn't familiar with the Glacier Peak wilderness area, and Glacier Peak creates Glacier Peak own weather, and it can be really bad this time of year, the whole two hours we were hiking together, I was trying to talk her out of it.

2. President Obama on Saturday:

   Yosemite’s largest glacier, (once) almost a mile long, is almost gone.

3. Kurt Kjær:

   The crater is exceptionally well-preserved and that is surprising because glacier ice is an incredibly efficient erosive agent that would have quickly removed traces of the impact.

4. National Park Service:

   The terrain below where Bunker went missing is near the location of the Liberty Ridge tragedy that claimed the lives of six climbers in 2014. It is very steep, terminates in cliffs, and is known for frequent avalanches and active rockfall, this, combined with the broken surface of the Carbon Glacier, will prevent the deployment of ground teams in this search.

5. Ian Fenty:

   It's very rare anywhere on the planet to see 700 meters of no temperature variation, normally we find colder waters in the upper hundred meters or so, but right in front of the glacier it's warm all the way up, these warm waters now are able to be in direct contact with the ice over its entire face, supercharging the melting.

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References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=GLACIER
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Glacier
3. ^ Wikipedia
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glacier
4. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
5. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/GLACIER
6. ^ Wikidata
   https://www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?search=GLACIER
7. ^ Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
   https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37683/37683-h/37683-h.htm#:~:text=GLACIER
8. ^ The Nuttall Encyclopedia
   https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/12342/pg12342-images.html#Glacier