palsa

[ pahl-suh ]

noun

, Geology.

, plural pal·sen [pahl, -s, uh, n].

1. a mound of earth pushed up by or formed near the edge of a glacier, found in alpine and Arctic areas.

Word History and Origins

Origin of palsa¹

First recorded in 1940–45; from German or directly from Swedish pals(e), from Finnish palsa “peat knob in a bog, hillock in the tundra,” from Sami

Example Sentences

On the very spot where Amr had reclined, he perceived a lotos-leaf and a palsa flower laid together.

From Project Gutenberg

A tree (palsa, the scarlet butea) bent down its branches and overshadowed her, and Buddha came forth.

From Project Gutenberg