savanna

Or sa·van·nah

[suh-van-uh]

noun

1. a plain characterized by coarse grasses and scattered tree growth, especially on the margins of the tropics where the rainfall is seasonal, as in eastern Africa.

2. grassland region with scattered trees, grading into either open plain or woodland, usually in subtropical or tropical regions.

savanna

/ səˈvænə /

noun

1. open grasslands, usually with scattered bushes or trees, characteristic of much of tropical Africa

savanna

1. A flat, grass-covered area of tropical or subtropical regions, nearly treeless in some places but generally having a mix of widely spaced trees and bushes. Savannas have distinct wet and dry seasons, with the mix of vegetation dependent primarily on the relative length of the two seasons.

savanna

1. A tropical land mass of grassland and scattered trees.

Word History and Origins

Origin of savanna¹

First recorded in 1545–55; earlier zavana, from Spanish (now sabana ), from Taíno zabana

Word History and Origins

Origin of savanna¹

C16: from Spanish zavana, from Taino zabana

Example Sentences

This giraffe lives in the open savannas and wooded grasslands of Kenya, Somalia, and Ethiopia.

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A recent study suggested that if deforestation and climate change continue unabated, between 10% and 47% of the Amazon could transition from lush rainforest to arid savanna over the next 25 years.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

In Brazil, huge swaths of the Amazon rainforest and Cerrado savanna have been lost to pastures and fields that produce beef and soybeans.

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"We must act to save our rivers, oceans, savannas, mangroves and forests, as well as the communities that protect and live alongside them," he said.

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In recent weeks, blazes exacerbated by climate change consumed large sections of the Amazon rainforest, Pantanal wetlands and Cerrado savanna, as well as the southern state of São Paulo.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• grassland