esker

noun

es·​ker ˈe-skər How to pronounce esker (audio)
: a long narrow ridge or mound of sand, gravel, and boulders deposited by a stream flowing on, within, or beneath a stagnant glacier

Examples of esker in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Among them: an esker, a long, sinuous ridge of gravel that formed as water flowed down into, and then under, glacial ice. Mary Divine, Twin Cities, 9 Sep. 2019 Try the Parnell segment for an especially hilly hike along glacial features including moraines, kettles, eskers and drumlins. Chelsey Lewis, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 17 May 2018 The area was formed by glaciers which changed the landscape, adding kettles and eskers, ridges and cliffs. Wisconsin Travel Best Bets, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 26 Sep. 2017 Debris dragged along the landscape deposited in rounded hills, or kames, along with steep ridges known as eskers and moraines; and deep holes were scooped from the earth to form kettles. Chelsey Lewis, chicagotribune.com, 15 June 2017 Six miles through classic glacial topography, the trail tiptoeing along steep moraines and eskers that plunged on both sides into deep kettles, and dipping and climbing between those moraines on rocky, root-rich soil. Chelsey Lewis, chicagotribune.com, 15 June 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'esker.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Irish eiscir ridge

First Known Use

1848, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of esker was in 1848

Dictionary Entries Near esker

Cite this Entry

“Esker.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/esker. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

esker

noun
es·​ker ˈes-kər How to pronounce esker (audio)
: a long narrow mound of material (as sand or gravel) deposited by a stream flowing on, within, or beneath a melting glacier

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