nunatak
/ˈnuːnətæk/noun
Rocky summit protruding through surrounding ice
From Greenlandic nunataq (A summit or ridge protruding through ice).
Lineage
OtherGermanicnot directly attestedSelect a stage for details, or drag it
The story
Picture a Greenlandic landscape buried under ice, with a dark mountain ridge poking through like the spine of a half-submerged island. English borrowed the Greenlandic word nunataq, changing its final q to k in the spelling nunatak. The exposed rock can stand alone amid the ice, which is why such peaks are sometimes called “glacial islands.” Smaller rounded examples have another name, rognons—a word with a decidedly less majestic sound than the rocky forms it describes.
Words from the same roots
nunataq · Greenlandic, ‘A summit or ridge protruding through ice’
Derivedglacier, icefield, glacial island, rognon