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

Related forms:

arc⋅ti⋅cal⋅ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source

Link To Arctic

arc·tic (ärk'tĭk, är'tĭk)

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)

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 © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source

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.]

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Cite This Source

Language Translation for : Arctic

Spanish: ártico,

German: arktisch,

Japanese: 北極の

More Translations »

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.

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.

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)

Search another word or see Arctic on Thesaurus | Reference

About · Privacy Policy · Terms of Use · Advertise with Us · Link to Us · NASCAR® · Contact Us