glacier

Where does the word "glacier" come from? It comes from Vulgar Latin glacia, passing through French before entering English (1740s).

Glacier’s story begins in Vulgar Latin: glacia meant “ice.” Ice, from glacies (ice). By 1700s, the word had taken hold in French as glacier. Settled in French for a slow-moving mass of ice. It reached English by 1740s as glacier. Swiss Alpine explorers of the 1700s introduced it; 'glaciology' followed in the 1800s. Today, glacier means a large, slow-moving mass of ice formed by compacted snow.

1. Stage 1 · Vulgar Latin · medieval glacia "ice", ice, from glacies (ice).
2. Stage 2 · French · 1700s glacier "a slow-moving mass of ice", settled in French for a slow-moving mass of ice.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1740s glacier "a large, slow-moving mass of ice", Swiss Alpine explorers of the 1700s introduced it; 'glaciology' followed in the 1800s.