Tundric
/ˈtʌn.drɪk/noun
Relating to tundra, especially its climate, vegetation, or ecology.
Did you know?The noun “tundra” entered English through Russian, but its deeper origin is usually connected to Sámi and other northern Uralic words for elevated, barren, or treeless land.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-modern period
Proto-Sámi or related Uralic source
*tuntur-
“A reconstructed northern term associated with high, open, treeless land; the exact ancestral form is uncertain.”
Recorded traditional usage
Sámi languages
tundar / tūndâr
“Upland, mountain, or treeless highland; forms vary among Sámi languages.”
Medieval–early modern period
Finnish
tunturi
“A treeless fell or highland, especially in northern Finland.”
18th Century
Russian
тундра (tundra)
“Treeless Arctic or subarctic plain; Russian adopted the term from northern languages.”
19th Century
English
tundra
“A vast treeless plain of cold northern regions.”
Modern English
English
tundric
“Relating to tundra; formed in English from “tundra” with the suffix “-ic.””