atoll
a ring-shaped coral reef or a string of closely spaced small coral islands, enclosing or nearly enclosing a shallow lagoon.
Origin of atoll
1Words Nearby atoll
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use atoll in a sentence
An atoll is a ring-shaped coral reef, island or chain of islands around a body of water called a lagoon.
An atoll forms when an underwater volcano spills lava onto the seafloor.
The Bikinians expected to return to their atoll in a few months.
Experimenting with hydrogen bombs, the U.S. blew lives apart | Gregg Herken | November 5, 2021 | Washington PostFor those who prefer to experience the atoll’s natural wonders from the surface, Turneffe Flats offers the Adventure atoll program, which combines snorkeling, kayak and land tours to gain a better understanding of the region’s ecosystems.
With covid protocols, a Caribbean fly-fishing haven is back in business | Chris Santella | April 2, 2021 | Washington PostGreen sea turtles have used the atoll as an incubator for hundreds or thousands of generations, or perhaps longer.
How Sea Turtles Find Their Way - Issue 94: Evolving | Jason G. Goldman | December 16, 2020 | Nautilus
Plus, Kate and William could hardly have picked a worse time for their luxury vacation to a resort in Noonu atoll.
William and Kate Leave Baby George Behind As They Jet Off On Maldive Holiday | Tom Sykes | March 7, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTLocal paper HaveeryOnline reports that the royal couple are known to be spending their vacation at a resort in Noonu atoll.
First, you would have to decide that the atoll was a viable option.
Above him, a still from the footage of the H-Bomb test at Bikini atoll.
atoll, the Polynesian name for coral islands of the ringed type enclosing a lagoon in the centre.
In 1891 a Committee of the British Association was formed for the investigation of an atoll by means of boring.
More Letters of Charles Darwin Volume II | Charles DarwinBikini atoll, scientists believed, needed only clearing and cultivation to make it once again suitable for human habitation.
Atoms, Nature, and Man | Neal O. HinesThey took samples of fish in the open ocean outside the atoll and made comparative collections at other atolls.
Atoms, Nature, and Man | Neal O. HinesBut, in the case of the atoll, the coral ring was present and so was the internal lagoon, but there was no rocky island.
The Meaning of Evolution | Samuel Christian Schmucker
British Dictionary definitions for atoll
/ (ˈætɒl, əˈtɒl) /
a circular coral reef or string of coral islands surrounding a lagoon
Origin of atoll
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 atoll
[ ăt′ôl′, ā′tôl′ ]
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 © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for atoll
[ (a-tawl, a-tol, ay-tawl, ay-tol) ]
A coral island that surrounds a lagoon. (See coral reef.)
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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