dune

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dune

/djuːn/ UK
/d͡ʒuːn/ UK
/dun/ US
/dɪu̯n/

Sounds like June stripped-by-parse_pron_post_template_fn · Rhymes with -uːn

Where it comes from

Partly from a dialectal form of down; and partly from Dutch duin (from Middle Dutch dune) or from Middle Low German dûne; all ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *dūn, *dūnā, of uncertain origin; possibly from Proto-Celtic *dūnom (“stronghold, rampart”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰuHnom (“enclosure”), from *dʰewh₂- (“to finish, come full circle”). Doublet of down (which see).

noun dunes

A ridge or hill of sand piled up by currents of wind or water. Heavy line segments (lengthened for clarity) indicate locations of deep-sea dunes.
Similar: sand dune, sand-dune

Opposite: dyke, dike

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: sand dune, seif, barchan, sand, sandbank, danube, hills, sandhill, sandridge, sandheap, sandpile, sandbar, bar, drift, hummock, mound

noun

Opposite: dyke, dike

Translations

Every language

noun a ridge or hill of sand piled up by the wind

Español	duna, médano, mégano
한국어	둔 dun, 둔덕 dundeok, 둔치 dunchi, 모래톱 moraetop, 사구 sagu
日本語	砂丘 sakyū
中文	沙丘 shāqiū
हिन्दी	टिब्बा ṭibbā, बालुकूट bālukūṭ
Kiswahili	tuta la mchanga
Português	duna
Français	dune
Deutsch	Düne, Sanddüne
Italiano	duna
Ελληνικά	αμμόλοφος ammólofos, θίνα thína
Română	dună
Русский	дю́на djúna, барха́н barxán
Tiếng Việt	đụn cát, cồn cát
العربية	كَثِيب kaṯīb, غُرْد ḡurd

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MLA

"dune." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/dune. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

dune. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/dune

Chicago

"dune." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/dune.

BibTeX

@misc{dune_2026,
  title = {dune},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/dune},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}