icefall

[ ahys-fawl ]

/ ˈaɪsˌfɔl /

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noun

a jumbled mass of ice in a glacier.

a mass of ice overhanging a precipice.

a falling of ice from a glacier, iceberg, etc.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of icefall

First recorded in 1810–20; ice + fall

Words nearby icefall

ice cube, iced, ice dance, ice dancing, ice dock, icefall, ice feathers, ice field, ice fish, ice fishing, ice floe

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use icefall in a sentence

The post Legendary Alpinist Corrado Pesce Dies During an Icefall on Patagonia’s Cerro Torre appeared first on Outside Online.
Legendary Alpinist Corrado Pesce Dies During an Icefall on Patagonia’s Cerro Torre|cobrien|February 4, 2022|Outside Online
The traditional pathway leaves Everest Base Camp and then enters the Icefall.
What You Missed: Life Lessons from Pro Cycling’s First Astronaut|Fred Dreier|December 7, 2021|Outside Online
As they entered the Khumbu Icefall, the route became increasingly congested with guides and clients all sharing a single fixed rope.
When COVID Came to Nepal|Ben Ayers|May 28, 2021|Outside Online
Still, bottlenecks in the Khumbu Icefall and different teams clustering together at higher camps on the mountain remain an inevitability, and whether the government can prevent pictures of those scenes from being shared publicly seems unlikely.
Will This Rule Prevent More Viral Photos of Everest?|Svati Kirsten Narula|March 12, 2021|Outside Online

Sadly one Sherpa, from another team, has now been killed in the Icefall.
One Sherpa Killed, Another Breaks Back as Harry's Everest Climbers Turn Back|Tom Sykes|May 10, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Coming back through the Icefall on Friday the boys missed two rock falls by no more than three minutes.
One Sherpa Killed, Another Breaks Back as Harry's Everest Climbers Turn Back|Tom Sykes|May 10, 2012|DAILY BEAST
It had always seemed improbable that these were sracs such as one meets on an Alpine icefall, and clearly they were not.
Mount Everest the Reconnaissance, 1921|Charles Kenneth Howard-Bury
Even as we entered the icefall our feet had occasionally broken the crust; as we came out of it we were stamping a trail.
Mount Everest the Reconnaissance, 1921|Charles Kenneth Howard-Bury
In ten minutes we came to another corridor like the first, which brought us out above the icefall.
Mount Everest the Reconnaissance, 1921|Charles Kenneth Howard-Bury
Some way up or by the side of the icefall of the Lobbia Glacier is yet to be found, but is probably possible.
Italian Alps|Douglas William Freshfield
Changed "icefall" to "ice-fall" on page xxvi: "part of ice-fall."
The Glaciers of the Alps|John Tyndall

British Dictionary definitions for icefall

icefall

/ (ˈaɪsˌfɔːl) /

noun

a very steep part of a glacier that has deep crevasses and resembles a frozen waterfall

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012