POLYNYA

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does polynya mean? 

• POLYNYA (noun)
  The noun POLYNYA has 1 sense:

1. a stretch of open water surrounded by ice (especially in Arctic seas)

  Familiarity information: POLYNYA used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• POLYNYA (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A stretch of open water surrounded by ice (especially in Arctic seas)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural objects (not man-made)

Hypernyms ("polynya" is a kind of...):

body of water; water (the part of the earth's surface covered with water (such as a river or lake or ocean))

 Context examples 

Winter ice on the surface of Antarctica's Weddell Sea sometimes has an enormous hole called a polynya.

(Data from robotic drifters explain mysterious holes in Antarctic sea ice, National Science Foundation)

A polynya that appeared in 2016 and 2017 offered a unique opportunity for oceanographers to monitor this expanse of ice-free water.

(Data from robotic drifters explain mysterious holes in Antarctic sea ice, National Science Foundation)