TERMIUM Plus®
From: Translation Bureau
On social media
Consult the Government of Canada’s terminology data bank.
BOULDER-CLAY [1 record]
Record 1 - internal organization data 2011-01-11
Record 1, English
Record 1, Subject field(s)
- Glaciology
- Petrography
Record 1, Main entry term, English
- till
1, record 1, English, till
correct, noun
Record 1, Abbreviations, English
Record 1, Synonyms, English
- ice-laid drift 2, record 1, English, ice%2Dlaid%20drift
correct
- boulder clay 3, record 1, English, boulder%20clay
former designation, see observation
- boulder-clay 4, record 1, English, boulder%2Dclay
former designation, see observation
- glacial till 5, record 1, English, glacial%20till
avoid, see observation
Record 1, Textual support, English
Record number: 1, Textual support number: 1 DEF
Unstratified drift, deposited directly by a glacier without reworking by meltwater, and consisting of a mixture of clay, silt, sand, gravel, and boulders ranging widely in size and shape. 6, record 1, English, - till
Record number: 1, Textual support number: 1 OBS
The term [till] has now replaced that of boulder clay because of the latter's implication of too precise a composition. 7, record 1, English, - till
Record number: 1, Textual support number: 2 OBS
[The term] "till" is commonly defined as nonstratified sediment carried or deposited by a glacier; hence the term is both sedimentologic and genetic, the frequently used term "glacial till" is redundant. 8, record 1, English, - till
Record number: 1, Textual support number: 3 OBS
till: term used by Parks Canada. 9, record 1, English, - till
Record number: 1, Textual support number: 4 OBS
till; ice-laid drift; boulder clay: terms used at Natural Resources Canada - Earth Sciences Sector. 10, record 1, English, - till
Record 1, French
Record 1, Domaine(s)
- Glaciologie
- Pétrographie
Record 1, Main entry term, French
- till
1, record 1, French, till
correct, masculine noun, Canada
Record 1, Abbreviations, French
Record 1, Synonyms, French
- moraine 2, record 1, French, moraine
feminine noun, France
- argile à blocaux 3, record 1, French, argile%20%C3%A0%20blocaux
former designation, see observation, feminine noun
- till glaciaire 4, record 1, French, till%20glaciaire
avoid, see observation, masculine noun
Record 1, Textual support, French
Record number: 1, Textual support number: 1 DEF
Argile mal stratifiée, mélangée de sable, de gravier et de blocs. 5, record 1, French, - till
Record number: 1, Textual support number: 1 CONT
Le till est un mélange de débris rocheux de toutes tailles déposés directement par la glace sans intervention majeure des eaux de fonte. [...] La glace dépose ses sédiments sans les trier [...] C'est pourquoi le till est généralement dépourvu de litage interne [...] 6, record 1, French, - till
Record number: 1, Textual support number: 1 OBS
Petit à petit, surtout en Europe, [le terme moraine] a souvent été pris comme synonyme de till, ce qui prête à confusion. Il vaut mieux réserver au mot moraine son sens d'origine, qui désigne une forme de terrain et non un type de matériel. 6, record 1, French, - till
Record number: 1, Textual support number: 2 OBS
[...] le mot «till» (terme écossais) a supplanté «boulder clay» (équivalent littéral de «argile à blocaux»). 7, record 1, French, - till
Record number: 1, Textual support number: 3 OBS
Le terme «till glaciaire» est à éviter puisque le sens de glaciaire est inclus dans la notion de till. 8, record 1, French, - till
Record number: 1, Textual support number: 4 OBS
till : terme en usage à Parcs Canada. 9, record 1, French, - till
Record number: 1, Textual support number: 5 OBS
till; moraine : termes en usage à Ressources naturelles Canada - Secteur des sciences de la Terre. 10, record 1, French, - till
Record 1, Spanish
Record 1, Campo(s) temático(s)
- Glaciología
- Petrografía
Record 1, Main entry term, Spanish
- morrena de fondo
1, record 1, Spanish, morrena%20de%20fondo
correct, feminine noun
Record 1, Abbreviations, Spanish
Record 1, Synonyms, Spanish
- arcilla con bloques 1, record 1, Spanish, arcilla%20con%20bloques
feminine noun
Record 1, Textual support, Spanish
Record number: 1, Textual support number: 1 CONT
La arcilla con bloques no es sino la morrena de fondo de antiguos glaciares cuaternarios. Consta de una masa de arcilla mezclada con arena, grava y bloques de piedra (con frecuencia estriados). 1, record 1, Spanish, - morrena%20de%20fondo
Copyright notice for the TERMIUM Plus® data bank
© Public Services and Procurement Canada, 2026
TERMIUM Plus®, the Government of Canada's terminology and linguistic data bank
A product of the Translation Bureau
Features
GCtranslate (available on the Government of Canada network only)
Use this artificial intelligence prototype to translate Government of Canada content up to and including Protected B. Available to employees of selected departments and agencies only.
Writing tools
The Language Portal’s writing tools have a new look! Easy to consult, they give you access to a wealth of information that will help you write better in English and French.
Glossaries and vocabularies
Access Translation Bureau glossaries and vocabularies.
- Date Modified:


