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moraine

 - 4 dictionary results

mo⋅raine

  [muh-reyn]
Use moraine in a Sentence
–noun
1. a ridge, mound, or irregular mass of unstratified glacial drift, chiefly boulders, gravel, sand, and clay.
2. a deposit of such material left on the ground by a glacier.
Origin:
1780–90; < F < Savoyard dial. morêna rise in the ground along the lower edge of a sloping field, equiv. to mour(o) mound, accumulation of earth (< *murr- mound, elevation, appar. pre-L) + -ena suffix of landforms, prob. of pre-L orig.; cf. Upper It (Piedmont) morena heap of organic detritus, Sp moreña heap of stones, moraine

Related forms:
mo⋅rain⋅al, mo⋅rain⋅ic, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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mo·raine   (mə-rān')   
n.  An accumulation of boulders, stones, or other debris carried and deposited by a glacier.

[French, from French dialectal morena, mound of earth, from Provençal morre, muzzle, from Vulgar Latin *murrum.]
mo·rain'al, mo·rain'ic adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Cultural Dictionary

moraine [(muh-rayn)]

A pile of debris, often extending for miles, deposited by a glacier. It is composed of rock fragments transported by the ice, which are left behind when the ice melts.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

moraine 
"ridge of rock deposited by a glacier," 1789, from Fr. moraine, from Savoy dialect morena "mound of earth," from Prov. morre "snout, muzzle," from V.L. *murrum "round object," of unknown origin, perhaps from a pre-L. Alpine language.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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