Antarctica - Wiktionary, the free dictionary


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Antarctica in a satellite photo

From New Latin Antarctica, from Ancient Greek ἀνταρκτικός (antarktikós), from ἀντι- (anti-, anti-, against, opposed) + ἀρκτικός (arktikós, Arctic), from ἄρκτος (árktos, bear).

Antarctica

  1. The southernmost continent, south of the Southern Ocean, containing the South Pole.
    • 1891, Hugh Robert Mill, “THE CONTINENTAL AREA”, in The Realm of Nature: An Outline of Physiography[1], London: John Murray, published 1892, →OCLC, page 274:

      The five largest islands or peninsulas in which the crests of the World Ridges break through the uniform covering of the hydrosphere are termed continents, and designated by the names Eurasia, Africa, North America, South America, and Australia. They are distinguished from other islands and peninsulas by size alone, Australia being ten times larger than New Guinea, and Africa ten times larger than Arabia, these being the greatest island and peninsula not called continents. The elevated region round the South Pole is crowned by the unexplored and scarcely discovered continent of Antarctica.

    • 1894 August, Cyrus C. Adams, “Antarctic Exploration”, in The American Naturalist[2], volume XXVIII, number 332, sourced from New York Sun, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 696:

      Dr. Murray believes that Alexander I. Land is a part of the west coast of Graham's Land, and that this landmass, which Biscoe and Larsen proved to widen rapidly toward the south, is only a peninsula of the continent of Antarctica.

  2. (loosely) the Antarctic
  • Although it is a separate continent, Antarctica is sometimes categorized under Oceania.

southernmost continent

Ultimately from Latin Antarctica. This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.

  • IPA(key): /ɑnˈtɑr(k).ti.kaː/, /ɑntˈɑr(k).ti.kaː/
  • Hyphenation: Ant‧arc‧ti‧ca

Antarctica n

  1. Antarctica

Antarctica f sg (genitive Antarcticae); first declension

  1. (New Latin) Antarctica (a continent)

First-declension noun, singular only.

Case Singular
Nominative Antarctica
Genitive Antarcticae
Dative Antarcticae
Accusative Antarcticam
Ablative Antarcticā
Vocative Antarctica

Antarctica f

  1. Antarctica (a continent)

declension of Antarctica (singular only)