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

/ sə-văn′ə /

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

Fires in northern and central Australia’s dry, grassy savannas are seen as more climate neutral because the grasses can regrow more quickly, he says.

From Science News

The tallgrass prairie of the Great Plains or the tropical savanna in the Cerrado of Brazil, by contrast, are natural grasslands full of life.

From Vox

Currently, protected areas cover only about 8 percent of grasslands and savannas, according to his paper, compared with roughly 18 percent of forests.

From Vox

The Cerrado savanna is one of Brazil’s most ecologically diverse regions.

From Ozy

Worse, wildfires are pushing the Amazon toward a dangerous tipping point that, some scientists say, could turn large swaths of the forest into a dry savanna.

From Vox

The Savanna-La-Mar Hurricane then moved onto Cuba, killing more than 1,000, in total.

From The Daily Beast

In the morning, fueled by fresh fruit and anticipation, we thundered off to Savanna-La-Mar.

From The Daily Beast

After some perseverance in watching from the spot they had selected, they saw, one evening, camp fires far out on the savanna.

From Project Gutenberg

Beyond it stretched a savanna, where our pilot told us we should find abundance of small birds.

From Project Gutenberg

It was my first savanna sparrow's nest, whether eastern or western.

From Project Gutenberg

The jabiru, the largest bird in Guiana, feeds in the marshy savanna through which you have just passed.

From Project Gutenberg

From hence you proceed, in a south-west direction, through a long swampy savanna.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• grassland