taiga

American  

[tahy-guh, tahy-gah] / ˈtaɪ gə, taɪˈgɑ /

noun

1. the coniferous evergreen forests of subarctic lands, covering vast areas of northern North America and Eurasia.

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taiga British  

/ ˈtaɪɡə /

noun

1. the coniferous forests extending across much of subarctic North America and Eurasia, bordered by tundra to the north and steppe to the south

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taiga Scientific  

/ tī′gə /

1. A forest located in the Earth's far northern regions, consisting mainly of cone-bearing evergreens, such as firs, pines, and spruces, and some deciduous trees, such as larches, birches, and aspens. The taiga is found just south of the tundra.

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Etymology

Origin of taiga

First recorded in 1885–90; from Russian taĭgá, from one or more Turkic languages of the Altai Mountain region; compare Altai, Shor tayγa “forest-covered mountain”

Compare meaning

How does taiga compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• taiga vs. tundra

Example Sentences

Using a drone, Alexey Kharitonov captures the rapid transition from summer to winter across taiga forests and Arctic tundra.

From BBC • Oct. 14, 2025

They were eminent at adapting to new habitats, and they settled in virtually every kind of landscape -- from deserts to jungles to the icy taiga in the far north.

From Science Daily • Dec. 14, 2023

In September, Andrei’s mother told AP her son was home, keeping himself busy with his family and collecting pine cones from the taiga.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 25, 2023

Its boreal - or "taiga" - forests of mainly birch, pine, spruce and fir are the world's largest forest region, covering an area about four times the size of India.

From Reuters • Aug. 9, 2023

Every few minutes the insects' piercing whine is supplanted by the boom of distant thunder, rumbling over the taiga from a wall of thunderheads rearing darkly on the horizon.

From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer