jäätmeline

Jäätmeline is an Estonian term that functions as an adjective meaning ice-like or frosty, and occasionally as a noun in specialized contexts. The word is built from jäät, meaning ice, with the suffix -meline, which forms adjectives describing a resemblance or quality.

In scientific usage, jäätmeline describes textures, surfaces, or states that resemble ice. In geology and periglacial studies, it is used to refer to frost-crystal crusts, thin transparent ice films, or glaze-like coatings that form on soils and rocks under cold conditions. The term is more common in Estonian-language field notes and regional surveys than in international literature, and it may appear alongside more technical terms such as frost, glaze ice, or ice-rich coatings.

In cultural contexts, jäätmeline is occasionally employed in Estonian poetry and criticism to convey a mood of cold, translucence, or stillness associated with winter landscapes. It is not a formal scientific category in most encyclopedic references, but it appears as a descriptive descriptor in descriptive writing.

See also: frost, ice, periglacial processes, cryogenic phenomena, translucence.

Notes: The term is relatively rare; its precise meaning can vary by author, and is not standardized across disciplines.