Meaning & use
Firn
Last updated
Granular, partially compacted snow that has survived at least one summer melt season without becoming solid glacier ice.
See it in a sentence
The climbers postponed their summit push until the firn had hardened enough to hold crampon placements.
Scientists drilled through several meters of firn before reaching denser glacial ice.
A note on using this word
Firn comes from a Swiss German word meaning 'of last year,' reflecting its status as snow older than one season.
Words with a similar meaning
névé
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
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