Gletschersee

glacial lake

noun GLEH-tsher-zay Rare

Also means

glacial tarn

Usage Note

Gletschersee is a lake formed in a hollow scoured by a glacier or dammed by glacial deposits. The Königssee in Bavaria is a famous example. As glaciers recede, new Gletscherseen are forming in the Alps.

Examples

"Der Gletschersee schimmert in einem unglaublichen Türkisblau."

Natural Translation

The glacial lake shimmers in an incredible turquoise blue.

Literal Translation

The glacier-lake shimmers in an incredible turquoise-blue.

Free starter pack

Building your German vocabulary?

Get the 100 most common German words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.

Related Words

Explore German by topic

GermanNow

Der, Die, Das: Rules to Guess German Gender

German noun gender rules made simple: check the suffix first, then meaning. Endings like -ung, -chen, and -ling predict der, die, or das with ~90% accuracy.

June 5, 2026 6 min read

GermanNow

German Umlauts & ß: Sounds and Typing

Pronounce ä, ö, ü with the front-tongue, rounded-lips rule, master the ß vs ss spelling, and type every German umlaut on Mac, Windows, and phone.

June 5, 2026 6 min read

GermanNow

Bitte in German: Please, You're Welcome, and More

Bitte means please, you're welcome, here you go, and pardon in German. Learn all the meanings, bitte schön vs bitte sehr, and the danke-bitte rule.

June 5, 2026 5 min read

GermanNow

German Days, Months & Seasons (am, im & -tag)

Days of the week in German use am, months and seasons use im — plus the -tag pattern, capitalized nouns, and how to build a real sentence with a day.

June 5, 2026 4 min read