Nearby Words
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source
|
Link To firn
00:10
00:09
00:08
00:07
00:06
00:05
00:04
00:03
00:02
00:01
Firn
is always a great word to know.
So is ort. Does it mean:
| a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal. |
| an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
| firn (fɪən) | |
| —n | |
| another name for névé | |
| [C19: from German (Swiss dialect) firn of the previous year, from Old High German firni old] | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
firn
"consolidated snow, the raw material of glaciers," 1853, lit. "last year's snow, névé," from Ger. Firn, from Swiss dial. firn "of last year," from M.H.G. virne "old," from O.H.G. firni, rel. to O.E. fyrn "old," Goth. fairns "of last year," from P.Gmc. *fur-/*for- (see
EXPAND first). The only Eng. relic of a useful word meaning "of last year" that was widespread in I.E. languages, cf. Lith. pernai "last year," Gk. perysi "a year ago, last year," Skt. parut "of last year."
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Science Dictionary
firn  (fîrn) Pronunciation Key
Granular, partially consolidated snow that has passed through one summer melt season but is not yet glacial ice. Firn becomes glacial ice once it has become impermeable to liquid water. |
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia
firn
partially compacted granular snow that is the intermediate stage between snow and glacial ice. Firn is found under the snow that accumulates at the head of a glacier. It is formed under the pressure of overlying snow by the processes of compaction, recrystallization, localized melting, and the crushing of individual snowflakes. This process is thought to take a period of about one year. Annual layers of firn may often be detected by thin films of dust or ash that accumulate on the surface during each summer.
Learn more about firn with a free trial on Britannica.com.
Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
Cite This Source
Cite This Source
Word Dynamo Rating For Firn
Quote Of The Day
Dictionary.com, LLC. Copyright © 2012. All rights reserved.
