periglacial

peri·gla·cial
P3E1R1I1G2L1A1C3I1A1L1
/pɛɹɪˈɡleɪʃəl/

adjective

Of or pertaining to the area around the edge of a glacier.

OriginEnglish glacial ← Ancient Greek περῐ́ (perĭ́) ← Proto-Indo-European *per- →
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Meanings

adjectiveperiglacial (not comparable)
  1. not comparablegeographyOf or pertaining to the area around the edge of a glacier.

    * During the Anglian glaciation, the ice caps were smaller than during earlier glacial events, but conditions in the periglacial areas around the ice were far more severe.

    2018, Tim Flannery, Europe: A Natural History, page 167

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*per-
  2. Ancient Greekπερῐ́ (perĭ́)
  3. Englishperi-
  4. Englishglacial
  5. Englishperiglacial

From peri- + glacial.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Finnish periglasiaalinen
  • periglasiaalinenpertaining to the area around the edge of a glacier
Spanish periglaciar
  • periglaciarpertaining to the area around the edge of a glacier

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with periglacial

facialspatialracialglacialmaxillofacialmultiracialcraniofacialpalatialbiracialinterglacialorofacialsubglacialpostglacialhemifacialdentofacialabbatialacousticofacialacrofacialbasifacialbifacialbrachyfacialbuccofacialcardiofacialcentrofacial
All rhymes →

Sounds the same

paraglacial (in some dialects)
Cite this entry
APA

periglacial. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/periglacial

MLA

“periglacial.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/periglacial. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “periglacial,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/periglacial.

Source: periglacial on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.