Floe
FLOE (of uncertain derivation; cf. Norse flo, layer, level plain), a sheet of floating ice detached from the main body of polar ice. It is of less extent than the field of "pack" ice, which is a compacted mass of greater depth drifting frequently under the influence of deep currents, while the floating floe is driven by the wind.
Note - this article incorporates content from Encyclopaedia Britannica, Eleventh Edition, (1910-1911)
