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alvar

noun al·var \ ˈȯlˌvär \

Definition of alvar

plural -s

:the plant community consisting typically of mosses and calciphilous herbaceous plants that grows on steppelike shallow alkaline soils overlying Scandinavian limestones

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Origin and Etymology of alvar

Swedish ålvar

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First Known Use: 1917

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Alvar

noun Al·var \ ˈalˌvär , ˈäl- \

Definition of Alvar

plural -s

:one of a group of southern Indian Vaishnava saints and devotional writers of the 7th to 9th centuries a.d.

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Origin and Etymology of alvar

Tamil Ār̤vār, from ār̤- to sink, be immersed in meditation

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First Known Use: 1865

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