glacial
/ˈɡleɪ.sɪəl/ adjective, noun, proper noun
Forms glacials
- adjective Of, or relating to glaciers. “We examined the glacial deposits.”
- adjective (figuratively) Very slow.
- adjective Cold and icy. “After the rain and frost, the pavements were glacial.”
- adjective Having the appearance of ice. “On cold days, glacial acetic acid will freeze in the bottle.”
- adjective (figuratively) Cool and unfriendly. “He gave me a glacial stare.”
- noun A glacial period (colloquially known as an ice age).
- proper noun (geology) Of the Pleistocene period dominated by the presence of glaciers.
Synonyms
Etymology
Borrowed from French glacial, from Latin glaciālis, from glaciēs (“ice”). The sense "slow" refers to the speed of actual glaciers, typically around 1 meter per day.
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Pertaining to ice or to its action; consisting of ice; frozen; icy; esp., pertaining to glaciers; as, glacial phenomena. Lyell.
- adjective Resembling ice; having the appearance and consistency of ice; - -said of certain solid compounds; as, glacial phosphoric or acetic acids. Glacial acid (Chem.), an acid of such strength or purity as to crystallize at an ordinary temperature, in an icelike form; as acetic or carbolic acid.
Etymology [L. glacialis, from glacies ice: cf. F. glacial.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “glacial”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details