puna

[ poo-nah ]

/ ˈpu nɑ /

noun

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

Pathology. altitude sickness.

Nearby words

pumpkin head, pumpking, pumpkinseed, pumpman, pun, puna, punakha, punan, puncak jaya, punce, punch

Origin of puna

1605–15; < American Spanish < Quechua

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

Examples from the Web for puna

In many of the Puna districts it constitutes the principal sustenance of the inhabitants.
The Desert World|Arthur Mangin
There are two species of ibis which belong to the Puna, though they are occasionally seen in some of the lower valleys.
Travels in Peru, on the Coast, in the Sierra, Across the Cordilleras and the Andes, into the Primeval Forests|J. J. von Tschudi
Guapo's friend was esteemed one of the best in all the Puna.
Popular Adventure Tales|Mayne Reid
But when Puna was going back he went slowly and softly, and saw his wife as a dragon, and understood the words of Hinole.
Legends of Gods and Ghosts (Hawaiian Mythology)|W. D. (William Drake) Westervelt

One, the southern or Puna side of the hills, is a place called Pohaku-nui.
Legends of Ma-ui--a demi god of Polynesia, and of his mother Hina|W. D. Westervelt

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