austral
1 Americannoun
plural
australesabbreviation
abbreviation
-
Australasia.
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Australia.
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Australian.
noun
abbreviation
-
Australasia
-
Australia(n)
adjective
Etymology
Origin of austral1
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin austrālis southern, equivalent to Aust ( e ) r Auster + -ālis -al 1
Origin of austral2
From Spanish; see origin at austral 1
Explanation
Anything austral refers to the south. An austral wind is a southern wind. This word has to do with direction. One of the most southern countries in the world is Australia, which might help you remember the meaning of austral: from the south or related to the south. Often, this word has to do with austral wind, which comes from the south. You could talk about the austral (southern) migration of birds.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
During the 2022–23 austral summer field season, the first for this project, the researchers found a surprising amount of variability in oxygen concentrations that couldn’t be explained.
From Science Magazine • Sep. 13, 2023
But this does mean Earth is closer to the sun in austral summer and farther in austral winter, so the corresponding plus-or-minus-five-degree-C shift can amplify seasons to be more extreme in the Southern Hemisphere.
From Scientific American • Jun. 30, 2023
“Hacemos música para que a la gente le guste”, dijo Tomasín en una entrevista en su casa de la ciudad argentina de Río Gallegos, cerca del extremo más austral del país.
From New York Times • Dec. 2, 2022
Tomine is a devotee of fishing the austral summer in South America’s Patagonia, from which he had just returned when he spoke to The Seattle Times in early April.
From Seattle Times • Apr. 7, 2022
For example, the upper austral region in central Washington is but 400 or 500 feet above the sea, while in Mexico it lies in general at an altitude of between 4,000 and 6,000 feet.
From North America by Russell, Israel C. (Cook)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
