noun

kettle

A hollow left by melting glacial ice, sometimes filled with water.

The kettle forms a round hollow in the former glacial landscape.

Etymology

cetilOld Englishvessel for boiling liquids

The glacial hollow borrows the cooking vessel’s shape. A block of buried ice melts away and leaves a basin-like depression in the surrounding deposits.

More examples

Water filled the kettle after the ice melted.
Several kettles dotted the plain.
The guide explained how a kettle lake formed.

Forms

kettle · kettles

Similar words

hollow: Hollow does not identify a glacial origin.
basin: Basin can be much larger and form through other processes.