polynya
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polynya
- /pə(ʊ)ˈlɪnjə/ UK
- /pəˈlɪnjə/ US
- /ˌpɑlənˈjɑ/ US
Where it comes from
Borrowed from Russian полынья́ (polynʹjá, “polynya”) in the 1850s, from Middle Russian полыньѧ (polynʹja) (att. in 1639), from полыи (polyi, “open from above, uncovered; hollow”), whence also Russian полый (polyj, “hollow”), from Old East Slavic полъ (polŭ, “uncovered”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pleh₂- (“flat”). The rare plural form polynyi is borrowed from Russian полыньи́ (polynʹí).
noun polynyas · polynyi · polyna · polynia
-
A naturally formed transient area of open water surrounded by sea ice, especially in polar or subpolar seas.
We immediately ascended a hill, and saw that the supposed land was nothing but hummocks of ice, piled up beyond a large Polynia, or space of open water, which extended from east to west, as far as the eye could reach.
Similar: glade
Translations
Every language
noun area of open water surrounded by sea ice
| Español | polinia |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 빙호 bingho |
| 日本語 | ポリニヤ poriniya, 氷湖 hyōko |
| 中文 | 冰洞 bīngdòng, 冰湖 bīnghú, 冰窟窿 bīngkūlong, 冰穴 bīngxué, 冰沼湖 bīngzhǎohú |
| हिन्दी | पॉलीन्या pŏlīnyā |
| Français | polynia |
| Deutsch | Wake, Polynja |
| Italiano | polynja |
| Русский | полынья́ polynʹjá, лу́нка lúnka, про́рубь prórubʹ, прота́лина protálina |
Talk about this word "polynya." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/polynya. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. polynya. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/polynya "polynya." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/polynya.Cite this
@misc{polynya_2026,
title = {polynya},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/polynya},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
