glacier

American  

[gley-sher] / ˈgleɪ ʃər /

noun

1. an extended mass of ice formed from snow falling and accumulating over the years and moving very slowly, either descending from high mountains, as in valley glaciers, or moving outward from centers of accumulation, as in continental glaciers.

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glacier British  

/ ˈɡlæsɪə, ˈɡleɪs- /

noun

1. a slowly moving mass of ice originating from an accumulation of snow. It can either spread out from a central mass ( continental glacier ) or descend from a high valley ( alpine glacier )

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glacier Scientific  

/ glā′shər /

1. A large mass of ice moving very slowly through a valley or spreading outward from a center. Glaciers form over many years from packed snow in areas where snow accumulates faster than it melts. A glacier is always moving, but when its forward edge melts faster than the ice behind it advances, the glacier as a whole shrinks backward.

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glacier Cultural  

1. A large mass of ice formed over many years that does not melt during the summer. Glaciers move slowly over an area of land such as a mountain valley.

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Discover More

A significant percentage of the water of the Earth is locked up in glaciers.

Glaciers exist in high mountains throughout the temperate zones and cover most of Antarctica. Glaciers recede during warm periods and can expand during cold periods, creating ice ages.

Other Word Forms

• glaciered adjective

Etymology

Origin of glacier

1735–45; < dialectal French, derivative of Old French glace ice < Late Latin glacia (for Latin glaciēs )

Example Sentences

In 1985, Nepal’s Dig Tsho lake, in the Everest region, burst after part of a hanging glacier fell into it, destroying houses and infrastructure below.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

These lakes are prone to failing because they are precariously dammed by walls made of frozen earth, rocks and ice created by the movement of a glacier.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

Using highly sensitive gravity measurements collected by BAS' Twin Otter aircraft and others, researchers detected an unusual signal beneath the glacier.

From Science Daily • Mar. 18, 2026

Gerhard Lieb, who runs the glacier monitoring service with Andreas Kellerer-Pirklbauer, said the weather conditions in recent years had been "extremely unfavourable for glaciers".

From BBC • Mar. 13, 2026

The heat had melted huge sections of glacier, and the water had begun to flow downstream.

From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone

Related Words

• ice floe
• iceberg