Link Centre Dictionary

glacial

gla·cial

UK/ˈɡleɪ.sɪəl/ US/ˈɡleɪ.ʃ(ɪ)əl/ rare

adjective

1.

relating to or derived from a glacier

  • “glacial deposit”
2.

devoid of warmth and cordiality; expressive of unfriendliness or disdain

  • “a frigid greeting”
  • “got a frosty reception”
  • “a frozen look on their faces”
  • “a glacial handshake”
  • “icy stare”
  • “wintry smile”
3.

extremely cold

  • “an arctic climate”
  • “a frigid day”
  • “gelid waters of the North Atlantic”
  • “glacial winds”
  • “icy hands”
  • “polar weather”

Origin

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.

Phrases

  • glacial acetic acid
  • glacial acid
  • glacial buzz saw
  • glacial drift
  • glacial erratic
  • glacial flour
  • glacial humour
  • glacial lake

Related words

Pertaining to

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.