dune
/djuːn/ noun, proper noun
Forms dunes
- noun (geomorphology) A ridge or hill of sand piled up by currents of wind or water.
- proper noun an island close to Heligoland
Synonyms
Antonyms
Etymology
Partly from a dialectal form of down; and partly from Dutch duin (from Middle Dutch dune) or from Middle Low German dûne; all ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *dūn, *dūnā, of uncertain origin; possibly from Proto-Celtic *dūnom (“stronghold, rampart”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰuHnom (“enclosure”), from *dʰewh₂- (“to finish, come full circle”). Doublet of down (which see).
Borrowed from German Düne.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A low hill of drifting sand usually formed on the coats, but often carried far inland by the prevailing winds. [Written also dun.]
Etymology [The same word as down: cf. D. duin. See Down a bank of sand.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “dune”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details