tundra

tun·dra

noun \ˈtən-drə also ˈtu̇n-\

Definition of TUNDRA

: a level or rolling treeless plain that is characteristic of arctic and subarctic regions, consists of black mucky soil with a permanently frozen subsoil, and has a dominant vegetation of mosses, lichens, herbs, and dwarf shrubs; also : a similar region confined to mountainous areas above timberline

Examples of TUNDRA

1. <a report on the arctic tundra of Alaska and the polar bears that inhabit that vast, frozen plain>

Origin of TUNDRA

Russian, from Russian dialect (northeast) tundra, tundara, from Kildin Sami (Sami language of the northern Kola Peninsula) tūnter

First Known Use: circa 1841

Related to TUNDRA

Synonyms: campo, champaign, down(s), grassland, heath, lea (or ley), llano, moor, pampa, prairie, savanna (also savannah), steppe, plain, veld (or veldt)

Related Words: field, meadow; floodplain; bottom, bottomland, flat, lowland; plateau, table, tableland, upland

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Other Ecology Terms

Malthusian, anthropogenic, biomass, carbon footprint, crepuscular, niche, sere, symbiosis, taiga