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floe

 [floh]   Origin

floe

   [floh]
noun
1.
Also called ice floe. a sheet of floating ice, chiefly on the surface of the sea, smaller than an ice field.
2.
a detached floating portion of such a sheet.
Origin:
1810–20; perhaps < Norwegian flo layer (compare Old Norse flō layer, level); cognate with Old English flōh piece, flagstone; compare flaw1

Can be confused: floe, flow (see synonym note at flow).
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Floe is always a great word to know.
So is slumgullion. Does it mean:
a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.
a fool or simpleton; ninny.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
floe (fləʊ)
 
—n
See ice floe
 
[C19: probably from Norwegian flo slab, layer, from Old Norse; see flaw1]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

floe
1817, first used by Arctic explorers, probably from Norw. flo "layer, slab," from O.N. flo, related to first element in flagstone (q.v.). Earlier explorers used flake.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
floe   (flō)  Pronunciation Key 
A mass or sheet of floating ice.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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