How to pronounce polynya
American English pronunciation
pol-un-YAH
- IPA
- /ˌpɑlənˈjɑ/
- Syllables
- pol · un · YAH (3 syllables, stress on the 3rd)
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What polynya means
A stretch of open water surrounded by sea ice
In a sentence: Seals popped up to breathe in the polynya, the only open water for miles.
Where it comes from: It was borrowed from Russian in the 1850s, from a word for open water in ice that goes back to an old word meaning hollow or open on top.
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