Thule

American  

[thoo-lee, too-lee] / ˈθu li, ˈtu li /

noun

1. the ancient Greek and Latin name for an island or region variously identified as one of the Shetland Islands, Iceland, or Norway: supposed to be the most northerly region of the world.

2. ultima Thule.

3. Also called Qaanaaq.  a settlement in northwestern Greenland: site of a U.S. air base.

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adjective

1. of or relating to an Indigenous culture flourishing from a.d. 500 to 1400, and extending throughout the Arctic from Greenland to Alaska.

Thule British  

/ ˈθjuːlɪ /

noun

1. Also called: ultima Thule.  a region believed by ancient geographers to be the northernmost land in the inhabited world: sometimes thought to have been Iceland, Norway, or one of the Shetland Islands

2. an Inuit settlement in NW Greenland: a Danish trading post, founded in 1910, and US air force base

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Example Sentences

That year, President Truman approved construction of Thule Air Base, 750 miles from the North Pole—today it is called Pituffik and is the northernmost American military base on the planet.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026

Thule, now called Pituffik Space Base, was built during World War II, one of several military installations established during the war.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 6, 2026

That’s what happened to a handful of Thule Inuit women and children in Greenland.

From National Geographic • Aug. 7, 2023

Further north, near Thule, retreating sea ice is impacting local hunters, he tells the BBC.

From BBC • Oct. 12, 2022

"And you still remain on the barren rocks of your ultima Thule?" she questioned, at length.

From A Gamble with Life by Hocking, Silas K. (Silas Kitto)