Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

subglacial

/ˌsʌbˈɡleɪ.ʃ(ə)l/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.01 in modern English

Syllables: sub-gla-ci-al
IPA: /ˌsʌbˈɡleɪ.ʃ(ə)l/

15

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

4

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Formed or occurring beneath a glacier or other body of ice.

adj

Moving at a rate allegedly slower than a glacier; extremely slow.

Informal

Example Sentences

"These streams continue to flow in winter as well as in summer, although in less quantity; […] It is also this melting beneath the ice (subglacial, suppose we call it) which loosens the ice from the ground, and occasions, or rather permits, the perpetual downward movement, with which "The glacier's cold and restless mass / Moves onward day by day.""
"Securing political approval for even modest changes to railway organisation and structure has been of sub-glacial speed and complexity since 2004, when Government abolished the Strategic Rail Authority and put itself in charge."

Etymology

PIE word *upó From sub- (prefix meaning ‘beneath, under’) + glacial (“of or relating to glaciers; cold and icy; (figurative) very slow”).

Word Breakdown

Prefix: sub

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˌsʌbˈɡleɪ.ʃ(ə)l/
British English: /sʌbˈɡleɪ.ʃl̩/

Usage

Informal

Derived Forms

subglacially

Phrases

subglacial duct subglacial lake subglacial rill subglacial stream subglacial volcano

Synonyms

glacial crawling slack slow-moving languid languorous draggy tardy creeping dreich gastropodous heavy-footed

Antonyms

supraglacial cursory express fast expeditious feverish fleet fleeting greased lightning hasty hectic hectical

Rhymes With

racial facial spatial glacial multiracial biracial palatial maxillofacial craniofacial interglacial spacial orofacial

Questions

How do you pronounce subglacial?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˌsʌbˈɡleɪ.ʃ(ə)l/.
What does subglacial mean?: Formed or occurring beneath a glacier or other body of ice.
Where does subglacial come from?: PIE word *upó From sub- (prefix meaning ‘beneath, under’) + glacial (“of or relating to glaciers; cold and icy; (figurative) very slow”).

How to pronounce subglacial

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “subglacial”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˌsʌbˈɡleɪ.ʃ(ə)l/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “subglacial”.
Repeat and practice — Say “subglacial” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.