glacier mill
- noun
- Specialized
:
moulin
- Scientists used ropes to descend into the glacier mill to study how meltwater travels beneath the ice.
Examples
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The team mapped the network of glacier mills to better understand glacial melt and movement.
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The glacier mill was carved by years of melting ice.
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A sudden roar signaled water plunging into a hidden glacier mill deep within the glacier.
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Many glacier mills can be found in the Alps.
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Scientists lowered equipment into a glacier mill to measure the flow of meltwater beneath the ice.
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The glacier mill formed over centuries, allowing water to flow from the surface down into the glacier.
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Explorer teams often seek out glacier mills to understand how they affect glacier dynamics.
Synonyms
2
9.9
A deep straight hole in a glacier that carries water from the surface to the base
Surface Forms
Morphology
A B1 learner who knows 'glacier' (a mass of ice) and 'mill' (a processing facility) would not predict a vertical shaft formed by meltwater; the sense of 'mill' required here is a specialized glaciological usage (from French 'moulin') rather than the common meaning. The overall meaning is technical and not compositionally derivable from the everyday senses of the parts, making it unpredictable for learners.
Etymology
The noun glacier mill comes from a clear image: melt water pours from the surface into a deep, almost vertical hole in the glacier, and the falling water acts like a mill, making a path down through the ice. That's why glacier mill means 'a deep shaft in a glacier where surface water goes down'.