Karoo

or Kar·roo

[ kuh-roo ]

/ kəˈru /

noun, plural ka·roos for 2.

a vast plateau in the Republic of South Africa, in Cape of Good Hope province. 100,000 sq. mi. (260,000 sq. km); 3000–4000 feet (900–1200 meters) above sea level.

(lowercase) an arid South African tableland with red clay soil.

Origin of Karoo

< Afrikaans kar(r)oo < Khoikhoi; compare Xhaeruh, Phaeruh place name recorded in 1689, Nama garo parched, dry, arid, !garo-b desolate waste

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

Examples from the Web for karoo

Travelling, even with the variety of emotion which the Karoo excites, is no great comfort in South Africa.
The Siege of Mafeking (1900)|J. Angus Hamilton.
He had taught them many things from the book of nature,—many arts that can be acquired as well on the karoo as in the college.
The Bush Boys|Captain Mayne Reid
We will swap the veldt and the parched Karoo,For the plain and ranges clear.
War's Brighter Side|Julian Ralph.
The climate of the Karoo is very favorable to persons suffering from lung trouble.
Seven Legs Across the Seas|Samuel Murray

A quarter of a mile brought the two men to the enclosure of a little Karoo homestead, nestling in a hollow in the veldt.
On the Heels of De Wet|The Intelligence Officer

British Dictionary definitions for karoo

Karoo

Karroo

/ (kəˈruː) /

noun plural -roos (often not capital)

any of several high arid plateaus in South Africa, esp the Central Karoo and the Little Karoo. The highveld, north of the Central Karoo, is sometimes called the Northern Karoo

a period or rock system in Southern Africa equivalent to the period or system extending from the Upper Carboniferous to the Lower Jurassic: divided into Lower and Upper Karoo

adjective

of, denoting, or formed in the Karoo period

Word Origin for Karoo

C18: from Afrikaans karo, probably from Khoikhoi garo desert

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

Science definitions for karoo

karoo

A semiarid plateau. The most well-known karoos cover nearly 400,000 sq km (156,000 sq mi) of southern Africa. Karoos are terrace shaped and characterized by low scrub vegetation.