glacier

Borrowed from French glacier, from Franco-Provençal gllaciér, from Vulgar Latin *glaciārium, a derivative of Latin glaciēs (“ice”), of uncertain origin. First attested in English in 1744 per the OED.

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈɡlæs.jə/, /ˈɡleɪs.jə/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈɡleɪ.ʃɚ/
• (Canada) IPA^(key): /ˈɡleɪ.ʃɚ/, /ˈɡleɪs.jɚ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

glacier (plural glaciers)

1. (geology) A large body of ice which flows under its own mass, usually downhill.

   They warned that the effects of glacier melting on water resources are becoming “increasingly serious” for China.

2. (mountaineering) An area of a mountain where snow is present year-round.

   You can ski down the glacier in both the winter and the summer.

• glaciate
• glaciology

• iceberg

• glacier on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

• Cargile, gracile

glacier (Old Valaisan, Old Vaudois)

1. alternative form of gllaciér (“glacier”)

• Walther von Wartburg (1928–2002) “glacies”, in Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, volume 4: G H I, page 139: “Afrpr. glacier m. „grand amas de glace provenant de la transformation de la neige, dans les montagnes“ (seit 1332)... [Footnote, p. 142:] Beleg aus Waadt, 1349 aus Wallis...”

• IPA^(key): /ɡla.sje/

• Audio:

  (file)

Borrowed from Franco-Provençal gllaciér. First attested in 1757. Cognate with German Gletscher.

glacier m (plural glaciers)

1. (geology) glacier

• →? Catalan: glacera (calque)
• → English: glacier
• → Italian: ghiacciaio (calque)
• → New Latin: glaciārium (calque)
• → Romanian: ghețar (calque)
• → Spanish: glaciar
  • → Galician: glaciar
  • → Portuguese: glaciar

glace (“mirror; ice-cream”) +‎ -ier (occupational suffix).

glacier m (plural glaciers)

1. (dated) maker of mirrors
2. seller of ice-cream
3. (by extension) ice-cream parlour

   Synonyms: glacerie, crémerie, bar laitier

• “glacier”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

• giclera