tundra
/ˈtʌn.drə/ IELTSAcademic
noun
A very cold, flat area of land where few trees grow. The ground is often frozen for most or all of the year.
- Caribou live on the tundra.
- The tundra looks empty but supports wildlife.
- Plants grow slowly in the tundra.
Adinary Nuance
Tundra is not just a cold place. It means a specific biome with frozen ground and very little tree growth. It is narrower than "arctic" and more exact than "cold region". Writers choose it when they want a scientific or geographic term.
In other languages
- Vietnamese
- lãnh nguyên
- Spanish
- tundra
- Chinese
- 苔原
- Japanese
- ツンドラ
- Korean
- 툰드라
Etymology
The word came into English in the 1800s from Russian tundra. Russian likely took it from a word used in northern indigenous languages for treeless land.
Common phrases
Arctic tundratundra climatetundra region
Synonyms
Related words
Frequently asked questions
- Is tundra the same as the Arctic?
- No. The Arctic is a large polar area. Tundra is a type of land found there and in some other cold places.
- Is tundra a common word in English?
- It is a fairly common academic and geography word. You may see it in science texts, news, and exams.
- Can I use tundra in everyday speaking?
- Yes, but it sounds more like a geography term than casual speech.
- What is the difference between tundra and taiga?
- Tundra has almost no trees. Taiga is a cold forest zone with many conifer trees.