puna

[ poo-nah ]

/ ˈpu nɑ /

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noun

a high, cold, arid plateau, as in the Peruvian Andes.

Pathology. altitude sickness.

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Origin of puna

First recorded in 1605–15; from South American Spanish, from Quechua púna

Words nearby puna

pumpman, pump priming, pump room, pump up, pun, puna, Punakha, Punan, Puncak Jaya, punce, punch

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use puna in a sentence

There is a road leading from Puna to Pannwell, a distance of seventy miles, and travellers can post all the way.
A Woman's Journey Round the World|Ida Pfeiffer
I have already described the effect of the Puna climate on beasts of burthen.
Travels in Peru, on the Coast, in the Sierra, Across the Cordilleras and the Andes, into the Primeval Forests|J. J. von Tschudi
A remarkable effect of the Puna wind is its power of speedily drying animal bodies, and thereby preventing putridity.
Travels in Peru, on the Coast, in the Sierra, Across the Cordilleras and the Andes, into the Primeval Forests|J. J. von Tschudi
The Puna de Atacama is a great salt waste of rugged tableland, volcanic, grassless, and inhospitable.
Argentina|W. A. Hirst

This was the hut of Guapo's friend, and similar to all others that may be encountered in the wild region of the Puna.
Popular Adventure Tales|Mayne Reid

British Dictionary definitions for puna

puna

/ Spanish (ˈpuna) /

noun

a high cold dry plateau, esp in the Andes

another name for mountain sickness

Word Origin for puna

C17: from American Spanish, from Quechuan

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