: an irregular limestone region with sinkholes, underground streams, and caverns
karstic adjective

Examples of karst in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Railay West Beach, Thailand On the Railay peninsula's west side, Krabi's famous karsts meet a simply stunning jade-green lagoon. Anne Olivia Bauso, Travel + Leisure, 20 Apr. 2023 The curving beach is punctuated by towering creviced karsts — the limestone formations that have made Railay a world-class destination for rock-climbing — and the emerald lagoon is a paradise for kayaking and paddle boarding. Anne Olivia Bauso, Travel + Leisure, 27 Mar. 2023 State and county regulators said the dredging drastically altered the nature of the stream and damaged a karst feature. Taima Kern, Journal Sentinel, 5 Jan. 2023 In one of these areas, a 175-square-mile expanse known as the Maros-Pangkep karst, Brumm and his colleagues have dated a painting of a Sulawesi pig species to at least 45,500 years ago. Theodora Sutcliffe, Discover Magazine, 18 May 2021 Variations in the local geology, climate, and other factors affect the way a karst appears at the surface, says international cave expert George Veni in a news release. Manasee Wagh, Popular Mechanics, 13 May 2022 The spectacular karst formations in China have earned the region a UNESCO world heritage site designation. Manasee Wagh, Popular Mechanics, 13 May 2022 Further in, stretched across the dirt, is an entrance to a cave — a karst that leads deep under the forest to the Edwards Aquifer. Elena Bruess, San Antonio Express-News, 14 Mar. 2022 There are 1,474 karst features throughout Camp Bullis, ranging from small cracks and crevices to slits in the earth, that deposit water into the recharge zone of the Edwards Aquifer. Elena Bruess, San Antonio Express-News, 14 Mar. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'karst.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

German, from Slovene dialect or Croatian dialect kras, kars, type of rock, region composed of such rock

First Known Use

1902, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of karst was in 1902

Dictionary Entries Near karst

Cite this Entry

“Karst.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/karst. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Geographical Definition

Karst

geographical name

variants or Kras or Italian Carso
limestone plateau northeast of the Istrian Peninsula in western Slovenia extending into eastern Italy

More from Merriam-Webster on karst

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!