boreal
Americanadjective
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of or relating to the north wind.
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of or relating to the north.
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(sometimes initial capital letter) pertaining to Boreas.
adjective
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of or denoting the coniferous forests in the north of the N hemisphere
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designating a climatic zone having snowy winters and short summers
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designating a dry climatic period from about 7500 to 5500 bc , characterized by cold winters, warm summers, and a flora dominated by pines and hazels
adjective
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Relating to the north or to northern areas.
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Relating to the north wind.
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Relating to the forest areas of the Northern Temperate Zone that are dominated by coniferous trees such as spruce, fir, and pine.
Etymology
Origin of boreal
1425–75; late Middle English boriall < Late Latin boreālis northern ( Latin bore(ās) Boreas + -ālis -al 1 )
Vocabulary lists containing boreal
Canada - Introductory
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Canada - Middle School and High School
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Russia - Middle School and High School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“There are examples where we have found a project that actually works on the carbon accounting math, but we didn’t want to do it because it was touching Canadian boreal forest that’s old-growth forest.”
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 30, 2025
Metrics show Canada's wildfires, a natural part of its vast boreal forest, have worsened in recent years.
From BBC • Sep. 24, 2025
The puzzle game Lorelei and the Laser Eyes opens with the protagonist — a well-dressed woman with the solemnity of a catwalk model — inside a forest where boreal owls roam.
From New York Times • May 15, 2024
The boreal region, also known as the taiga, serves as an immense global carbon reservoir.
From Science Daily • Apr. 17, 2024
He is Frank Volkheimer, an upperclassman, seventeen years old, a colossal boy from some boreal village, a legend among the younger cadets.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
