palearctic

[ pey-lee-ahrk-tik, -ahr-tikor, especially British, pal-ee- ]

adjective

1. Zoogeography. belonging or pertaining to a geographical division comprising Europe, Africa north of the tropic of Cancer, the northern part of Arabia, and Asia north of the Himalayas.

Word History and Origins

Origin of palearctic¹

First recorded in 1855–60; pale- + Arctic