To give birth to a calf, or (of a glacier) to break apart and shed large chunks of ice.
From Old English cealf (calf), forming the verb by adding -e. The term naturally extended to describe the action of producing calves, and later was metaphorically applied to glaciers producing icebergs.
When glaciers 'calve,' it's one of the most dramatic geological events you can witness—huge walls of ice the size of buildings suddenly crack and crash into the ocean, creating massive waves. Scientists study calving rates to understand how quickly glaciers are melting due to climate change.
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