nunatak

Where does the word "nunatak" come from? It comes from Kalaallisut (Greenlandic) nunataq, passing through Danish before entering English (1870s).

Nunatak’s story begins in Kalaallisut (Greenlandic): nunataq meant “a rocky peak surrounded by ice.” Combined 'nuna' (land) with a suffix meaning 'thing pertaining to'. By 1800s, the word had taken hold in Danish as nunatak. Greenlandic for a lone peak above the ice; the Danish explorer Nordenskiöld's reports spread it. It reached English by 1870s as nunatak. Borrowed into English geological and glaciological terminology. Today, nunatak means an isolated peak or ridge of rock that protrudes above the surface of a glacier or ice sheet.

1. Stage 1 · Kalaallisut (Greenlandic) · pre-1800s nunataq "a rocky peak surrounded by ice", combined 'nuna' (land) with a suffix meaning 'thing pertaining to'.
2. Stage 2 · Danish · 1800s nunatak "a rock outcrop protruding through a glacier or ice field", Greenlandic for a lone peak above the ice; the Danish explorer Nordenskiöld's reports spread it.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1870s nunatak "an isolated peak of rock protruding above a surrounding glacier or ice sheet", borrowed into English geological and glaciological terminology.