glacially
|gla-cial-ly|
/ˈɡleɪʃəli/
ice-cold; very slow
Etymology
'glacial' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'glacies', where the root 'glaci-' meant 'ice'.
'glacial' changed from Latin 'glaciālis' into Old French forms and Middle English 'glacial'; the modern English adjective 'glacial' developed from these, and the adverb 'glacially' was later formed by adding the suffix '-ly'.
Initially, it meant 'of or pertaining to ice', but over time it evolved into meanings such as 'extremely cold' and metaphorically 'very slow'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adverb 1
in a manner resembling a glacier: very slowly or imperceptibly; at a glacial pace.
The negotiations proceeded glacially, with progress measured in tiny steps.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Idioms
Last updated: 2026/01/14 20:37