playa
Western U.S. the sandy, salty, or mud-caked flat floor of a desert basin having interior drainage, usually occupied by a shallow lake during or after prolonged, heavy rains.
Origin of playa
1- Compare dry lake.
Words Nearby playa
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use playa in a sentence
Whale watchers—a popular activity in the first three months of the year—can check out playa la Cachora.
Mexico’s Hidden Getaway: Todos Santos, Playa Cerritos | Caroline Linton | May 26, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTTo truly get off the grid, playa Cerritos is just a few miles up the road on Highway 19.
Mexico’s Hidden Getaway: Todos Santos, Playa Cerritos | Caroline Linton | May 26, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTThe town is located just near playa Pescadero, near the tiny town of El Pescardo.
Mexico’s Hidden Getaway: Todos Santos, Playa Cerritos | Caroline Linton | May 26, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTA brackish lagoon surrounded by mangroves and coconut groves, located just east of playa Azul.
The Amphibians and Reptiles of Michoacn, Mxico | William E. DuellmanI ascended one, and we proceeded slowly along the playa or strand.
The Bible in Spain | George Borrow
But finding nothing, he passed on to playa Honda, where he arrived late, more than two hours after the sun had risen.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 | Emma Helen BlairThen he went to Buquil and did the same as in playa-Honda, breaking and burning all the instruments of their idolatries.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 | VariousIn the wet season the playa is covered with a thin sheet of muddy water, a playa lake, supplied usually by some stream at flood.
The Elements of Geology | William Harmon Norton
British Dictionary definitions for playa
/ (ˈplɑːjə, Spanish ˈplaja) /
(in the US) a temporary lake, or its dry often salty bed, in a desert basin
Origin of playa
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for playa
[ plī′ə ]
A dry lake bed at the bottom of a desert basin, sometimes temporarily covered with water. Playas have no vegetation and are among the flattest geographical features in the world. Also called sink
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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