Karoo

or Kar·roo

[ kuh-roo ]

noun

, plural ka·roos

1. a vast plateau in the Republic of South Africa, in Cape of Good Hope province. 100,000 square miles (260,000 square kilometers); 3000–4000 feet (900–1200 meters) above sea level.
2. (lowercase) an arid South African tableland with red clay soil.

Karoo

/ kəˈruː /

noun

1. any of several high arid plateaus in South Africa, esp the Central Karoo and the Little Karoo. The highveld, north of the Central Karoo, is sometimes called the Northern Karoo
2. a period or rock system in Southern Africa equivalent to the period or system extending from the Upper Carboniferous to the Lower Jurassic: divided into Lower and Upper Karoo

adjective

1. of, denoting, or formed in the Karoo period

karoo

/ kə-ro̅o̅′ /

1. A semiarid plateau. The most well-known karoos cover nearly 400,000 sq km (156,000 sq mi) of southern Africa. Karoos are terrace shaped and characterized by low scrub vegetation.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Karoo¹

First recorded in 1785–90; from Afrikaans kar(r)oo, from Khoikhoi; compare Xhaeruh, Phaeruh placename recorded in 1689, Nama garo “parched, dry, arid,” !garo-b “desolate waste”

Word History and Origins

Origin of Karoo¹

C18: from Afrikaans karo, probably from Khoikhoi garo desert

Example Sentences

Adding to their spectral appearance were the long, withered grass-tufts and karoo bushes, white as if coated with hoar frost.

From Project Gutenberg

On the Karoo, just crossed, wild animals were so scarce and shy, that with all the skill of their hunters the larder had run low.

From Project Gutenberg

A man walking along the great wastes of the African karoo comes across a little stream.

From Project Gutenberg

After a shower of rain, the Karoo in South Africa, for instance, is an extraordinarily beautiful country.

From Project Gutenberg

Then the Karoo becomes unlovely, desolate, and barren-looking, with only its inconspicuous permanent plants visible.

From Project Gutenberg