Glacials

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A period marked by sustained cold temperatures leading to extensive ice cover across land and seas
2. the geological time associated with extensive glaciation with significant climate impacts
3. a phase during which glaciers advance due to prolonged climatic cooling and increased ice accumulation

Etymology: The word here is the plural of "glacial", so it is the plural form of an adjective-turned-noun for the ice-age sense. "Glacial" was borrowed into English from French "glacial", which came from Latin "glaciālis", itself built on "glaciēs", meaning "ice". The adjective has an unexpected second life: its common modern sense of extremely slow comes from the real pace of glaciers, which move roughly a metre a day, so "glacial speed" became a joke about anything dragging. Using the plural for a span of time is a separate step. Each entry describes one cold episode, so the plural counts several of them, the way a geologist might speak of several ice ages. The noun inherits its whole meaning from the adjective's link to ice rather than from any individual event.

Synonyms: ice ages