Main Entry:

gla·cial

Pronunciation:

\ˈglā-shəl\

Function:

adjective

Etymology:

Latin glacialis, from glacies

Date:

1656

1: suggestive of ice: as a: extremely cold : frigid <a glacial wind> b: devoid of warmth and cordiality <a glacial handshake> c: coldly imperturbable <maintained a glacial calm> 2: of a purity marked by the tendency to readily solidify in the form of ice-like crystals <glacial acetic acid>3 a (1): of, relating to, or being any of those parts of geologic time from Precambrian onward when a much larger portion of the earth was covered by glaciers than at present (2)capitalized : pleistocene b: of, relating to, or produced by glaciers c: suggestive of the very slow movement of glaciers <progress on the bill has been glacial>

— gla·cial·ly \-shə-lē\ adverb