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Atoll - 7 dictionary results

at⋅oll

  [at-awl, -ol, -ohl, uh-tawl, uh-tol, uh-tohl]
Use Atoll in a Sentence
–noun
a ring-shaped coral reef or a string of closely spaced small coral islands, enclosing or nearly enclosing a shallow lagoon.
Origin:
1615–25; earlier atollon < F: a word used in early descriptions of the Maldive Island atolls; said to be Divehi (Indo-Aryan language of the Maldives) atou
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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a·toll   (āt'ôl', -ŏl', ā'tôl', ā'tŏl')   


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n.  A ringlike coral island and reef that nearly or entirely encloses a lagoon.

[Maldivean atolu; probably akin to Sinhalese ätul, interior (from the interior lagoon), probably from Sanskrit *antala-, interior, variant of antara-; see en in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Atoll

A*toll"\, n. [The native name in the Indian Ocean.] A coral island or islands, consisting of a belt of coral reef, partly submerged, surrounding a central lagoon or depression; a lagoon island.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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atoll [(a-tawl, a-tol, ay-tawl, ay-tol)]

A coral island that surrounds a lagoon. (See coral reef.)

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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atoll 
1625, atollon, from Malayam atolu "reef," probably from adal "closing, uniting." Popularized in present form by Darwin's writings.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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atoll   (āt'ôl', ā'tôl')  Pronunciation Key 


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A coral island or series of coral islands forming a ring that nearly or entirely encloses a shallow lagoon. Atolls are surrounded by deep ocean water and range in diameter from about 1 km (0.62 mi) to over 100 km (62 mi). They are especially common in the western and central Pacific Ocean and are believed to form along the fringes of underwater volcanoes. Compare barrier reef, fringing reef.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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ATOLL
Acceptance, Test Or Launch Language

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
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