A dome-shaped dwelling built from blocks of snow, traditionally used by Inuit peoples in the Arctic.
From Inuktitut 'iglu' meaning simply 'house' or 'dwelling'. The word entered English in the 18th century through early Arctic explorers and has become the standard term for this specific type of snow shelter.
The engineering of an igloo is remarkably sophisticated - the spiral construction technique creates a self-supporting dome that actually gets stronger as more blocks are added. What's fascinating is that 'igloo' just means 'house' in Inuktitut, but English borrowed it to refer specifically to snow houses, showing how languages adapt foreign words for specific purposes.
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