taiga

noun

tai·​ga ˈtī-gə How to pronounce taiga (audio)
: a moist subarctic forest dominated by conifers (such as spruce and fir) that begins where the tundra ends

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web By that date, the smoke had already spent days traveling thousands of miles — all the way from Siberia, where large swaths of the taiga were ablaze. Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 16 July 2018 In this region, at the heart of the taiga, lies the village of Shologon, soon to be coated by a thick cloud of smoke. Leo Barraclough, Variety, 11 Nov. 2022 The Thirsty Camel bar, housed in a Mongolian-style temple constructed from wood from the Siberian taiga and part of a sustainable reforestation program, has one of the best selections of whiskey on this side of Asia. Breanna Wilson, Forbes, 5 Oct. 2022 The taiga forest trailed the ice, and then the deciduous trees moved in during this age of climate change. Peter Brannen, The Atlantic, 22 June 2022 The North American taiga covers more than 2.3 million square miles, an area larger than the Brazilian Amazon rain forest. John Schandelmeier, Anchorage Daily News, 4 June 2022 Most of the taiga in Alaska is left unmolested, at least in the summer months. John Schandelmeier, Anchorage Daily News, 4 June 2022 Embedded with us will be a true man of the Russian taiga, wearing camouflage and bearing a rifle and machete. Kent Russell, Harper’s Magazine , 25 May 2022 In the great taiga, Russia’s vast subarctic forest, and now in Ukraine, the stories of shatooni rising from apparent death to devour their executioners are not myth. A. Craig Copetas, Quartz, 4 Mar. 2022 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'taiga.' 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

Russian taĭga

First Known Use

1888, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of taiga was in 1888

Dictionary Entries Near taiga

Cite this Entry

“Taiga.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/taiga. Accessed 1 Apr. 2023.

Kids Definition

taiga

noun
tai·​ga ˈtī-gə How to pronounce taiga (audio)
: a moist northern forest that consists mostly of cone-producing trees (as pines, spruces, and firs) and begins where the tundra ends
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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


Love It or Hate It

  • heart-fire
  • When asked about her blind date, Carol spoke for hours with vitriol.
True or False

Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ
Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can with using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.

Can you make 12 words with 7 letters?

PLAY