atoll
pronunciation
How to pronounce atoll in British English:
UK [ˈætɒl]
How to pronounce atoll in American English:
US [ˈætɔl]
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- Noun:
- an island consisting of a circular coral reef surrounding a lagoon
Word Origin
- atoll
- atoll: [17] Atoll was borrowed from Malayalam atolu ‘reef’, the name used by Maldive Islanders for their islands, many of which are coral atolls
- atoll (n.)
- 1620s, atollon, from Malayam atolu "reef," probably from adal "closing, uniting." Popularized in present form by Darwin's writings.
Example
- 1. This is the bikini atoll .
- 2. An atoll is a ring-shaped island that encloses a central lagoon .
- 3. But mr kayanne is also leading a japanese project to create a beach made out of home-grown star sand in tuvalu , a south pacific atoll perilously close to sea level .
- 4. The largest coral atoll in the tuamotu archipelago is rangiroa : 20 tiny islets surrounding a large lagoon .
- 5. At roughly 8km wide , atafu atoll is the smallest of three atolls comprising the tokelau islands in the southern pacific .