Definition: Arctic
Etymology
From Arctic Ancient Greek ἀρκτικός (arktikos) "of the bear, northern," a reference to the northerly constellation Ursa Major from ἄρκτος (arktos) "bear."
Pronunciation
- /ˈɑːktɪk/
- /ˈɑɹktɪk/
Like Antarctic, the English word was originally pronounced without /k/, but the spelling pronunciation has become the more common one. The "c" was originally added to the spelling for etymological reasons, and its pronunciation followed thereafter.
Adjective
Arctic (not comparable)
- Being extremely cold, snowy, or having other properties of extreme winter associated with the Arctic.
- The food was kept very fresh by the arctic temperature setting of the freezer.
Proper noun
Arctic
- (obsolete) The north celestial pole. [fifteenth–seventeenth centuries]
- (geography) The region of the Earth above the Arctic Circle, containing the North Pole. [from seventeenth century]
Derived terms
Credits
New World Encyclopedia writers and editors copied and adjusted this Wiktionary entry in accordance with NWE standards. This article abides by terms of the Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0 License (CC-by-sa), which may be used and disseminated with proper attribution. Credit for this article is due to both New World Encyclopedia contributors and the selfless volunteer contributors of the Wikimedia Foundation. To cite this article click here for a list acceptable citing formats.The history of earlier contributions at Wiktionary is accessible to researchers here:
