Lop Nur

[ lawp noor ]

noun

1. a series of salt lakes and marshes in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, in northwestern China: nuclear test site.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Lop Nur¹

First recorded in 1895–1900; from Mongolian: literally, “Lop Lake” ( Lop being a toponym of unknown origin), or from Uyghur Lop Nur “Bright Lake”