hummock
hummock Lexical Profile
hummock Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A small hillock, knoll, or rounded mound of earth, peat, or vegetation rising above a level surface such as a marsh or bog.
"The hikers stepped carefully from one grassy hummock to another to avoid sinking into the bog."
A ridge, pile, or uneven mound of ice pushed up on an ice field or floe by pressure.
"The polar expedition had to haul their sledges over jagged hummocks of pack ice."
• verb
To form into or pile up in small mounds or ridges (especially of pack ice or soil).
"Fierce arctic currents caused the sea ice to buckle and hummock along the coastline."
Word Nuance & Usage
Do not confuse 'hummock' (a small knoll or mound of earth or ice) with 'hammock' (a suspended bed made of canvas or rope).
• Rhymes for hummock
Word Origin & Etymology
First recorded in the mid-16th century as a nautical term used by mariners to describe a rounded hillock on the coast, possibly related to 'hump' with the diminutive suffix '-ock'.