Icebreaker
[AHYS-bray-ker]
Part of speech: noun
Origin: English, 1925
1.
A ship designed to create navigable channels through ice
2.
An opening remark or action designed to put people at ease
Examples of Icebreaker in a sentence
"Ships would be incapable of traveling Arctic routes without the help of an icebreaker."
"An icebreaker can be awkward, but it's an easy way to start off a discussion."
About Icebreaker
While Arctic exploration has been happening for thousands of years, it was only recently that ships had the necessary power required to plow through the thick Arctic ice. In August 1994, the Polar Sea, a United States Coast Guard heavy icebreaker, along with a Canadian icebreaker, reached the North Pole. Both of these vessels are diesel icebreakers.
Did you Know?
An icebreaker is a specially designed ship, built to navigate and clear icy waters. An icebreaker has distinguishing characteristics: a reinforced hull, a shape for clearing ice, and enough power to push through thick ice.
