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noun

igloo

IHG-loo
noun
1
A dome-shaped shelter built from blocks of packed snow, traditionally used by Inuit people.
"They built an igloo on the frozen lake to shelter from the wind."

How to Use Igloo

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishA snow shelter shaped like a dome, traditionally built by Inuit people in the Arctic.

Common mistake

In Inuktitut the word just means "house" generally — English speakers narrowed it to mean only the snow-dome version.

Word Forms

igloos plural

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They built an _____ on the frozen lake to shelter from the wind.

Etymology

From Inuktitut iglu, meaning "house" or "dwelling" of any kind — English narrowed the word to mean specifically the snow-block shelter.

Rhymes for igloo

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Definitions: FreeDict original editorial