antarctic

[ant-ahrk-tik, -ahr-tik]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR antarctic ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

of, at, or near the South Pole.

noun

the Antarctic, the Antarctic Ocean and Antarctica.

Origin of antarctic

1325–75; < Latin antarcticus < Greek antarktikós (see ant-, arctic); replacing Middle English antartik (< Middle French) < Medieval Latin antarticus

Can be confusedantarctic arctic

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for antarctic

ice-cold, frozen, freezing, chilly, icy, frosty, glacial, wintry, frigid, chilled, iced, polar, raw, cold, numb, frosted, arctic, chill, cool, gelid

Examples from the Web for antarctic

Contemporary Examples of antarctic

As forbidding as this terrain is, there is another force at work on the ocean surface – the Antarctic Circumpolar Current.
MH370 Debris Is Lost Forever, Can the Plane Be Found Without It?
Clive Irving
September 7, 2014
In ‘Chasing Shackleton’, Tim Jarvis re-enacts a hundred-year-old Antarctic journey using replica gear and clothing.
Polar Explorer vs. Reality TV Crew: Tim Jarvis in the Footsteps of Shackleton
Darrell Hartman
January 12, 2014
The teams of service personnel, all of whom have physical or cognitive injuries, have walked 335km across the Antarctic Plateau.
Prince Harry Arrives at South Pole
Tom Sykes
December 13, 2013
The teams of service personnel, all of whom have physical or cognitive injuries, will race 335km across the Antarctic Plateau.
Prince Harry Proves He Is The Coolest Royal As he Prepares To Walk To the South Pole
Tom Sykes
November 13, 2013
During a scientific expedition in the Antarctic he lost his colleagues 300 miles from safety.
Six Greatest Acts of Human Endurance
Nico Hines
November 6, 2013

Historical Examples of antarctic

We're to sail the first week in September, so as to get the summer months in the Antarctic.
The Woman Thou Gavest Me
Hall Caine
But single instances—so an observation by Scott, in the Antarctic.
The Book of the Damned
Charles Fort
"Yes—but so is the Arctic camp, and the Antarctic camp, as well," replied Wade.
Invaders from the Infinite
John Wood Campbell
On the seventy-fifth day after the sailing of the Antarctic?
The Call Of The South
Louis Becke
We knew that war was their object, and the Antarctic was prepared for battle.
The Call Of The South
Louis Becke

British Dictionary definitions for antarctic

Antarctic

noun

the Antarctic or Antarctic Zone Antarctica and the surrounding waters

adjective

of or relating to the south polar regions

Word Origin for Antarctic

C14: via Latin from Greek antarktikos; see anti-, arctic

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for antarctic

adj.

late 14c., antartyk "opposite to the north pole" (adj.), also (with capital A) "region around the South pole" (n.), from Old French antartique, from Medieval Latin antarcticus, from Greek antarktikos "opposite the north," from anti- "opposite" (see anti-) + arktikos "arctic" (see arctic). The first -c- sound ceased to be pronounced in Medieval Latin and was dropped in Old French. Modern English spelling, which restores it, dates from 17c.

antarctic in Culture

Antarctic

The region around the South Pole, Antarctica, and the surrounding ocean.