sastruga

[ sas-truh-guh, sah-struh-, sa-stroo-, sah- ]

noun

, plural sas·tru·gi [sas, -tr, uh, -gee, sah, -str, uh, -, sa-, stroo, -, sah-].

1. Usually sastrugi. ridges of snow formed on a snowfield by the action of the wind.

sastruga

/ səˈstruːɡə; sæ- /

noun

1. one of a series of ridges on snow-covered plains, caused by the action of wind laden with ice particles

Word History and Origins

Origin of sastruga¹

1830–40; < German < dialectal Russian zastrúga, noun derivative of zastrugátʾ, zastrogátʾ to plane, shave down (wood), equivalent to za- perfective v. prefix + strugátʾ, strogátʾ to plane, smooth (wood)

Word History and Origins

Origin of sastruga¹

from Russian zastruga groove, from za by + struga deep place

Example Sentences

In the worst fogs at home one can at any rate see something of the ground on which one is treading; in Adelie Land, even when the air was clear of snow, it was easy to bump against a four-foot sastruga without seeing it.

From Project Gutenberg

Each of us took it in turn to run ahead, jumping from one sastruga to another.

From Project Gutenberg

As the sledge strikes each sastruga, it skids northwards along it to the discomfort of the wheelers and the disgust of the leader.

From Project Gutenberg

The sledge, for instance, balances itself on the top of a sastruga for a moment, with an ominous bend in the runners, crashes down the slope and jams its bow into the next one, from which it has to be lifted clear.

From Project Gutenberg

One walks into a deep trench or a sastruga two feet high without noticing it.

From Project Gutenberg