Arctic definition | Dictionary.com

arc⋅tic

[ahrk-tik or, especially for 7, ahr-tik]

–adjective

1.	(often initial capital letter) of, pertaining to, or located at or near the North Pole: the arctic region.

2.	coming from the North Pole or the arctic region: an arctic wind.

3.	characteristic of the extremely cold, snowy, windy weather north of the Arctic Circle; frigid; bleak: an arctic winter.

4.	suitable for use in the arctic: arctic boots.

5.	extremely cold in manner, atmosphere, etc.: a look of arctic disdain.

–noun

6.	(often initial capital letter) the region lying north of the Arctic Circle or of the northernmost limit of tree growth; the polar area north of the timber line.

7.	arctics, warm, waterproof overshoes.

Origin:
1350–1400; < L arcticus < Gk arktikós northern, lit., of the Bear, equiv. to árkt(os) bear (see Ursa Major ) + -ikos -ic; r. ME artik < MF artique < L

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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Language Translation for : Arctic

Spanish:

ártico,

German:

arktisch,

Japanese:

北極の

View 30 other languages »

arc·tic   (ärk'tĭk, är'tĭk) Pronunciation Key
adj.   Extremely cold; frigid. See Synonyms at cold.
n.   A warm waterproof overshoe.

[Alteration (influenced by Latin arcticus) of Middle English artic, northern, from Medieval Latin articus, from Latin arcticus, from Greek arktikos, from arktos, bear, the northern constellation Ursa Major; see tko- in Indo-European roots.]

Arc·tic (ärk'tĭk, är'tĭk) Pronunciation Key
A region between the North Pole and the northern timberlines of North America and Eurasia.
Arc'tic adj.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Arctic

c.1391, artik, from O.Fr. artique, from M.L. articus, from L. arcticus, from Gk. arktikos "of the north," lit. "of the (constellation) Bear," from arktos "bear," the Bear being a northerly constellation. From the usual I.E. base for "bear" (cf. Avestan aresho, Arm. arj, Alb. ari, L. ursus, Welsh arth); see bear (n.) for why the name changed in Gmc. The -c- was restored 1556. Arctic Circle (66 degrees 32 minutes north), first attested 1556, is that inside which the Great Bear never sets.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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arctic
adjective
1.	of or relating to the Arctic; "the Arctic summer" [syn: north-polar]
2.	extremely cold; "an arctic climate"; "a frigid day"; "gelid waters of the North Atlantic"; "glacial winds"; "icy hands"; "polar weather"
noun
1.	the regions to the north of the Arctic Circle centered on the North Pole
2.	a waterproof overshoe that protects shoes from water or snow

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
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Arctic

Region in the northernmost area of the Earth, centered on the North Pole.

Note: The weather of the Arctic is characterized by long, cold winters and short, cool summers.

Note: The Arctic has been the object of much exploration by air, land, and sea. The shortest distance by plane between continents in the Northern Hemisphere is often over the Arctic.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Arctic language, music
A real-time functional language, used for music synthesis.
["Arctic: A Functional Language for Real-Time Control", R.B. Dannenberg, Conf Record 1984 ACM Symp on LISP and Functional Prog, ACM].
(1995-01-16)

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
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Arctic Village, AK (CDP, FIPS 03990)
Location: (68.121828, -145.527686)
Population (2000): 152 (67 housing units)
Area: 61.713065 sq mi (land), 8.123286 sq mi (water)

Northwest Arctic census, AK (subarea, FIPS 18856270)
Location: (66.822031, -160.646404)
Population (2000): 7,208 (2,540 housing units)
Area: 35898.340256 sq mi (land), 4863.660984 sq mi (water)

Northwest Arctic, AK (Borough, FIPS 188)
Location: (66.822031, -160.646404)
Population (2000): 7,208 (2,540 housing units)
Area: 35898.340256 sq mi (land), 4863.660984 sq mi (water)

U.S. Gazetteer, U.S. Census Bureau
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Arctic

Arc"tic\, a. [OE. artik, OF. artique, F. arctique, L. arcticus, fr. Gr. ?, fr. ? a bear, also a northern constellation so called; akin to L. ursus bear, Skr. ?ksha.] Pertaining to, or situated under, the northern constellation called the Bear; northern; frigid; as, the arctic pole, circle, region, ocean; an arctic expedition, night, temperature.

Note: The arctic circle is a lesser circle, parallel to the equator, 23[deg] 28' from the north pole. This and the antarctic circle are called the polar circles, and between these and the poles lie the frigid zones. See Zone.

Arctic

Arc"tic\, n. 1. The arctic circle.

2. A warm waterproof overshoe. [U.S.]

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