permafrost

noun

per·​ma·​frost ˈpər-mə-ˌfrȯst How to pronounce permafrost (audio)
: a permanently frozen layer at variable depth below the surface in frigid regions of a planet (such as earth)

Examples of permafrost in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The permafrost in its soil has trapped carbon dioxide and methane for thousands of years. Andrew Freedman, Axios, 11 Dec. 2024 Longyearbyen is warming six times faster than the global average, studies suggest, and thawing permafrost and rising sea levels threaten the local economy and infrastructure. Yahya Salem, CNN, 3 Nov. 2024 During the Cold War, the Arctic’s frozen expanse mirrored the ideological permafrost between the communist and Western blocs. Andreas Kuersten, Foreign Affairs, 20 Aug. 2015 The length of the thumb claw is about 1 centimeter. 35,000 to 37,000 years old The mummified cub, which would have been a carnivore, was found in the Upper Pleistocene permafrost on the Badyarikha River in Yakutia, Russia, the study states. Greta Cross, USA TODAY, 20 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for permafrost 

Word History

Etymology

permanent + frost

First Known Use

1943, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of permafrost was in 1943

Dictionary Entries Near permafrost

Cite this Entry

“Permafrost.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/permafrost. Accessed 5 Jan. 2025.

Kids Definition

permafrost

noun
per·​ma·​frost ˈpər-mə-ˌfrȯst How to pronounce permafrost (audio)
: a permanently frozen layer at variable depth below the surface in frigid regions of a planet (as earth)

More from Merriam-Webster on permafrost

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