Glacial

Pronunciation

• UK IPA: /ˈɡleɪ.ʃ(ɪ)É™l/
• Rhymes: -eɪʃəl

Origin

From French glacial, from Latin glaciālis, from glaciēs ("ice").

Full definition of glacial

Adjective

1. of, or relating to glaciers
• We examined the glacial deposits
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
• After the rain and frost, the pavements were glacial
4. having the appearance of ice
• On cold days, glacial acetic acid will freeze in the bottle
5. cool and unfriendly
• He gave me a glacial stare

Derived terms

• englacial
• interglacial
• postglacial
• preglacial
• proglacial
• subglacial