From Latin 'glaciēs' (ice), from PIE *gel- (cold, to freeze) — the same root behind 'cold,' 'gelatin,' and 'jelly.'
A slowly moving mass of ice formed by the accumulation and compaction of snow on mountains or near the poles.
From French 'glacier' (ice mass, glacier), from Franco-Provençal 'glacière' (ice deposit), from Old French 'glace' (ice, glaze), from Vulgar Latin '*glacia' (ice), from Latin 'glaciēs' (ice, frost). The Latin term derives from PIE *gel- (cold, to freeze), the same root that gives English 'cold,' 'cool,' 'chill,' and 'gelatin.' English borrowed the word from French in the mid-18th century
English 'cold,' 'cool,' 'chill,' 'glacier,' 'gelatin,' and 'jelly' all descend from the same PIE root *gel- (cold, to freeze). Even 'glaze' is a relative — glass gets its name from its resemblance to ice. The German word 'Gletscher' comes from the same Franco-Provençal source as 'glacier,' borrowed