dune
[doon, dyoon]
- a sand hill or sand ridge formed by the wind, usually in desert regions or near lakes and oceans.
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Origin of dune
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for dune
Contemporary Examples
We lugged the beach stuff onto the beach, avoiding anything that resembled a dune.
Historical Examples
Renmark threw himself down on the soft sand at the foot of a dune.
In the Midst of AlarmsRobert Barr
What hae ye ever dune to gie a body ony richt to believe in ye?
Heather and SnowGeorge MacDonald
Then, above the edge of the dune, showed Seth's head and arm.
The Woman-HatersJoseph C. Lincoln
Neither Seth nor the housekeeper came out from behind that dune.
The Woman-HatersJoseph C. Lincoln
It's time I went on and got the dune tonic for my foolish nerves.
Janet of the DunesHarriet T. Comstock
dune
- a mound or ridge of drifted sand, occurring on the sea coast and in deserts
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Word Origin
C18: via Old French from Middle Dutch dūne; see down ³
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for dune
n.
1790, from French, Middle Dutch or Middle Low German dune, all perhaps from Gaulish *dunom (thus related to down (n.2)). The French dune "sand hill" (13c.) is held by Diez to be an Old French borrowing from Dutch duin or some other Germanic source. Italian and Spanish duna are from French. Dune buggy attested by 1965.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
dune
[dōōn]
- A hill or ridge of wind-blown sand. Dunes are capable of moving by the motion of their individual grains but usually keep the same shape. See more at barchan dune draa longitudinal dune seif dune transverse dune.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
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