Firn
/fɜːrn/noun
Old, compacted granular snow that has survived at least one summer and is in the process of becoming glacial ice.
Did you know?Firn comes from an old German word for “last year’s” or “former” snow, reflecting how glaciologists describe snow that has outlived a season and begun its slow transformation into ice.
Etymological Timeline
Old High German
OHG
firni
“old, of last year; former”
Middle High German
MHG
firne
“old snow, especially snow from the previous year”
16th–18th Century
German
Firn
“old snow or snow remaining from the previous winter”
19th Century
English
firn
“granular snow that has survived a summer and is compacting toward glacial ice”
Modern English
English
firn
“compact, recrystallized snow on the way to becoming glacier ice”