arctic

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adjective arc·tic \ ˈärk-tik , ˈär-tik \

Definition of arctic

1 often capitalized :of, relating to, or suitable for use at the north pole or the region near it

arctic waters

arctic animals

arctic clothing

2 a :bitter cold :frigid

arctic air

b :cold in temper or mood

an arctic smile

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arctically

play \-ti-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

See arctic defined for English-language learners

See arctic defined for kids

Examples of arctic in a Sentence

The group is involved in Arctic exploration.
the arctic air of deep winter

Recent Examples of arctic from the Web

A part-human, part-ice White Walker appears, and its arctic weapon easily shatters the sword of an opponent.

— cam wolf, GQ, "How Game of Thrones Created a Mini-Industry of $3,000 Swords," 28 Aug. 2017
And that environment could be the Amazon rain forest or the African Sahel or the arctic refuge.

— nicole brodeur, The Seattle Times, "‘Music is a lifesaving mechanism’: Screaming Trees drummer traveled globe for new book," 16 Aug. 2017
Arctic Choice is selling coho, sablefish, halibut, oysters, side stripe shrimp, and frozen seafood options such as red king crab, scallops and razor clams.

— donna freedman, Alaska Dispatch News, "Local produce is at its peak – now’s the time to hit farmers markets for something fresh," 15 Aug. 2017
On that January day, cold arctic air was sloshed up into Spearfish and areas eastward, but the frigid air was very shallow.

— tom skilling, chicagotribune.com, "Ask Tom: What's the largest, quickest temperature swing to occur in the U.S.?," 27 July 2017
A smaller, rounder blue masa chip, spread with farmer cheese and capers, is the foundation of the arctic char tostada.

— pete wells, New York Times, "At Atla, Mexican for Every Moment of the Day," 25 July 2017
The article claims the icebreaker will only use lasers for ice cutting, allowing the ships to get around the arctic faster.

— kyle mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "Russia May Put Lasers on Its New Icebreaker Ships," 24 July 2017
Arctic Choice is all about the piscine protein: salmon (sockeye, king), rockfish, halibut, Simpson Bay oysters, Prince William Sound sablefish and side-stripe shrimp, salmon (sockeye, king), rockfish and halibut.

— donna freedman, Alaska Dispatch News, "Order Bristol Bay sockeye fillets for August delivery; enjoy lots of fresh veggies and flowers right now," 19 July 2017
Coca-Cola raised $2 million for arctic polar bears and decorated the website for the habitat preservation campaign with an adorable picture of a cub.

— the washington post, NOLA.com, "Polar bears hurt by climate change are more likely to turn to a new food source: people," 13 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'arctic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of arctic

Middle English artik, from Latin arcticus, from Greek arktikos, from arktos bear, Ursa Major, north; akin to Latin ursus bear, Sanskrit ṛkṣa

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1540

See Words from the same year

arctic Synonyms

Other Ecology Terms

Malthusian, anthropogenic, biomass, carbon footprint, crepuscular, niche, sere, symbiosis, taiga, tundra

arctic

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noun arc·tic \ ˈär-tik , ˈärk-tik \

Definition of arctic

:a rubber overshoe reaching to the ankle or above

First Known Use of arctic

1868

Other Clothing Terms

babushka, brogue, bumbershoot, cravat, dishabille, furbelow, layette, raiment, spectator

ARCTIC Defined for English Language Learners

arctic

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adjective

Definition of arctic for English Language Learners

: of or relating to the North Pole or the region around it
: very cold

ARCTIC Defined for Kids

arctic

play

adjective arc·tic \ ˈärk-tik , ˈär-tik \

Definition of arctic for Students

1 often capitalized :of or relating to the north pole or to the region around it

arctic explorers

2 :very cold

arctic temperatures

History for arctic

The Big Dipper is a group of stars in the northern sky. It looks like a dipper to us, but ancient people thought it looked like a large bear. The ancient Greeks gave it a name that meant “bear.” The English word arctic came from the Greek name for the Big Dipper. Because when we look at the Big Dipper we are looking toward the north, the word arctic refers to the region around the north pole.