ScienceSeptember 4, 2026

deglaciated

dee-GLAY-shee-ay-tid

Definition

To have been cleared of ice cover or glaciers; the process by which an area transitions from being covered by a glacial ice sheet to being free of it.

Etymology

Derived from the Latin 'de-' (down from, away) and the Latin 'glacies' (ice), combined with the suffix '-ate' to denote the act of changing state. It entered English to describe the specific environmental process of glacier retreat.

In the news

In the article, professor Meredith Kelly researches how the ice sheet that once covered the Hanover region deglaciated, using the resulting geological remnants to map historical climate change.

‘The granite of New Hampshire’: Examining Dartmouth’s unique geography and geological history

Read the full article ↗

The Dartmouth

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