igloo
Igloo (noun) means a dome-shaped shelter built from blocks of packed snow, traditionally used by Inuit people. Example: “They built an igloo on the frozen lake to shelter from the wind.”
How to use igloo
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA snow shelter shaped like a dome, traditionally built by Inuit people in the Arctic.
In Inuktitut the word just means "house" generally — English speakers narrowed it to mean only the snow-dome version.
Word forms
- Plural
- igloos
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
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.