MORAINE


Meaning of MORAINE in English

— morainal, morainic , adj.

/meuh rayn"/ , n.

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.

[ 1780-90; 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 ]

Random House Webster's Unabridged English dictionary.      Полный английский словарь Вебстер - Random House .