glaciation
|gla-ci-a-tion|
/ˌɡleɪsiˈeɪʃən/
formation or coverage by glaciers
Etymology
'glaciation' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'glacies', where the root 'glaci-' meant 'ice'.
'glaciation' changed from French and Middle English formations: Latin 'glacies' gave Old French/Medieval French forms related to 'glace' (ice) and 'glacer' (to freeze/cover with ice), later the French noun 'glaciation' was adopted into English as 'glaciation'.
Initially it referred to 'ice' or the action/condition of icing or being iced, but over time it evolved into the modern technical sense of 'the formation, spread, or presence of glaciers' and the geological intervals characterized by that process.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the process by which glaciers form, grow, and spread across an area (formation and movement of ice masses).
Scientists study past glaciation to understand how ice sheets affected global climate.
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Noun 2
a geologic interval or event characterized by extensive glacier coverage (a glacial period or advance).
The last major glaciation in North America peaked during the Pleistocene.
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Last updated: 2026/01/14 22:05