I. ˈglāshəl adjective
Etymology: Latin glacialis, from glacies ice + -alis -al
1.
a. : having the nature of ice : suggestive of ice : icy:
(1) : extremely cold : frigid , freezing , chilling
a glacial wind
the air in the cave was glacial , penetrated to the very bones — Willa Cather
(2) : devoid of warmth and cordiality
a glacial handshake
: chillingly hostile
froze him in his tracks with a glacial stare — Roger Butterfield
(3) : coldly immobile or imperturbable
glacial conservatism
preserved a glacial calm
b.
(1) : of, relating to, or produced by glaciers
glacial erosion
glacial deposits
glacial lakes
: characterized by the presence of glaciers
the glacial ages of the earth
(2) : suggestive of the movement of glaciers : moving with extreme slowness : moving slowly and irresistibly or relentlessly
the glacial pace of European integration — A.E.Stevenson †1965
c. : of or relating to a time or region of glaciation
glacial man
: of, relating to, or produced by the Glacial epoch or one of the glacial ages
glacial climates
2. : tending at freezing temperature to form crystals resembling ice if pure but not if in aqueous solutions
glacial acrylic acid
glacial phosphoric acid
• gla·cial·ly -əlē, -əli adverb
II. noun
( -s )
: one of the glacial ages or stages of the Pleistocene epoch