glacier

The word “glacier” means a large, slow-moving mass of ice formed from compacted snow. In plain terms, a huge, slow-flowing river of ice, usually found in mountains or polar regions.

“Glacier” is pronounced GLAS-yuh (/ˈɡleɪ.ʃɚ/ in IPA).

Here is “glacier” used in a sentence: “The glacier has retreated significantly over the past century.”

“Glacier” is a noun.

The word “glacier” dates back to around 1744 and comes from Latin. Borrowed from French glacier, ultimately from Latin glacies ("ice"); first recorded in English in 1744.

“Glacier” is an uncommon word in modern English.

A glacier is a large, slow-moving mass of ice formed on land from compacted snow, whereas an iceberg is a chunk of ice that has broken off, or "calved," from a glacier or ice shelf and floats in open water. In short, icebergs often originate from glaciers but are a separate, floating form.

A glacier is generally a distinct, river-like body of ice confined to a valley or mountain area, while an ice sheet is a much larger, continuous mass of ice covering a vast region, such as those found in Antarctica or Greenland. Ice sheets can feed multiple glaciers that flow outward from them.

Glaciers move under the pressure of their own enormous weight and gravity, causing the compacted ice to deform and slide gradually downhill. This extremely slow movement is the origin of the phrase "glacial pace" to describe something moving very slowly.