different between subglacial vs glacial

English

Etymology

sub- +? glacial

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /s?b??le???l/, /s?b??le??i.?l/
• Rhymes: -e???l

Adjective

subglacial (not comparable)

1. Formed, or occurring beneath a glacier or other body of ice
   • 1836 Edward Charlesworth - The Magazine of Natural History

     It is also this melting beneath the ice (subglacial, suppose we call it) which loosens the ice from the ground, . . .

2. (informal) Moving at a rate allegedly slower than a glacier.

Antonyms

• supraglacial

Related terms

References

• “subglacial”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–present.

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Spain) /sub?la??jal/, [su??.??la??jal]
• IPA^(key): (Latin America) /sub?la?sjal/, [su??.??la?sjal]

Adjective

subglacial (plural subglaciales)

1. subglacial

English

Etymology

From French glacial, from Latin glaci?lis, from glaci?s (“ice”). The sense "slow" refers to the speed of actual glaciers, typically around 1 meter per day.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /??le?.s??l/, /??le?.?(?)?l/
• Rhymes: -e???l

Adjective

glacial (comparative more glacial, superlative most glacial)

1. Of, or relating to glaciers.

   Wang Shijin is a glacier expert and director of the Yulong Snow Mountain Glacial and Environmental Observation Research Station.

2. (figuratively) Very slow.
   • 2010, "Under the volcano", The Economist, 16 Oct 2010:

     Progress on judicial reform has been glacial, meeting enormous resistance.
3. Cold and icy.

4. Having the appearance of ice.

5. (figuratively) Cool and unfriendly.

Hyponyms

Translations

Noun

glacial (plural glacials)

1. A glacial period (colloquially known as an ice age).

   Synonym: ice age

   Coordinate term: interglacial

Translations

Derived terms

• glacial till

References

Anagrams

• gallica

Catalan

Pronunciation

• (Balearic, Central) IPA^(key): /?l?.si?al/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /?la.si?al/

Adjective

glacial (masculine and feminine plural glacials)

1. glacial

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?la.sjal/
• Homophones: glaciale, glaciales

Adjective

glacial (feminine singular glaciale, masculine plural glaciaux, feminine plural glaciales)

1. glacial (all meanings)

Further reading

• “glacial” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Galician

Adjective

glacial m or f (plural glaciais)

1. frozen, at the temperature of ice

   Synonym: xeado

2. glacial, pertaining to glaciers
3. (figuratively) frigid, chilly, not cordial

   Synonym: xélido

Related terms

• glaciación

Norman

Etymology

From Latin glaci?lis, from glaci?s (“ice”).

Adjective

glacial m

1. (Jersey) icy

Portuguese

Adjective

glacial m or f (plural glaciais, comparable)

1. glacial (cold and icy)

   Synonym: gélido

2. glacial (relating to glaciers)
3. relating to ice ages
4. (figuratively) glacial; cold (emotionally distant)

   Synonyms: frio, gélido

Romanian

Etymology

From French glacial, from Latin glacialis.

Adjective

glacial m or n (feminine singular glacial?, masculine plural glaciali, feminine and neuter plural glaciale)

1. glacial

Declension

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Spain) /?la??jal/, [?la??jal]
• IPA^(key): (Latin America) /?la?sjal/, [?la?sjal]

Adjective

glacial (plural glaciales)

1. glacial
2. (figuratively) frigid, chilly, not cordial

Related terms