circumpolar

[ sur-kuhm-poh-ler ]

/ ˌsɜr kəmˈpoʊ lər /

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adjective

around or near a pole, as of the earth.

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Origin of circumpolar

First recorded in 1680–90; circum- + polar

Words nearby circumpolar

circumlunar, circumnavigate, circumnutate, circumnutation, circumocular, circumpolar, circumradius, circumrotate, circumscissile, circumscribe, circumscribed

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use circumpolar in a sentence

In order to survive 120 days of continuous darkness and an average temperature of 43 degrees Fahrenheit, the circumpolar creatures were most likely warm-blooded.
The real Jurassic Park may have been in the Arctic|Sara Kiley Watson|June 28, 2021|Popular-Science
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|DAILY BEAST
Bones of the musk-ox found in the frozen soil of Siberia indicate that it formerly had a circumpolar distribution.
North America|Israel C. Russell
Very rare migrant; but two records; breeding habitat, circumpolar regions.
Birds of the Rockies|Leander Sylvester Keyser

This is done most effectually by observing the vertical movement of a close circumpolar star when at its greatest azimuth.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 6|Various
In 1817 he joined the corvette “Uranie” as pharmaceutical botanist to the circumpolar expedition commanded by D. de Freycinet.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 5|Various
When are the circumpolar constellations visible in northern latitudes?
The Chautauquan, Vol. III, March 1883|The Chautauquan Literary and Scientific Circle

British Dictionary definitions for circumpolar

circumpolar

/ (ˌsɜːkəmˈpəʊlə) /

adjective

(of a star or constellation) visible above the horizon at all times at a specified locality on the earth's surface

surrounding or located at or near either of the earth's poles

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

Scientific definitions for circumpolar

circumpolar

[ sûr′kəm-pō′lər ]

Located or found in one of Earth's polar regions.

Denoting a star that from a given observer's latitude does not go below the horizon during its diurnal motion. The closer an observer is to one of the poles, the greater the portion of the sky that contains circumpolar stars. At the pole itself, all stars are circumpolar.