barchan

[ bahr-kahn ]

noun

1. a crescent-shaped sand dune with the convex side in the direction of the wind.

barchan

/ bɑːˈkɑːn /

noun

1. a crescent-shaped shifting sand dune, convex on the windward side and steeper and concave on the leeward

Word History and Origins

Origin of barchan¹

1885–90; < Russian barkhán, said to be < Turkic

Example Sentences

Stump described the memorial’s future appearance as having two barchan dune forms that would create an oasis in the middle, and a wall color and texture that would evoke the desert where Desert Storm took place.

From Washington Post

Some curved peaks here, for instance, look like so-called barchan dunes, which form when the wind blows steadily in a single direction—a feature common in Earth deserts as well as those on Mars.

From Scientific American

Their shape is why they are known as "barchan dunes."

From Fox News

The crescent-shaped barchan dunes of Lagoa dos Barros on southern Brazil’s Atlantic coast.

From The Guardian

This post was cowritten by Margareta Barchan of Business School Lausanne, who recently sat down with Paul Polman at Unilever Unilever headquarters in London.

From Forbes