Karst

Pronunciation

• UK enPR: käst, IPA: /kɑːst/
• US enPR: kärst, IPA: /kɑɹst/
• Rhymes: -ɑː(r)stHomophones: cast, caste (in non-rhotic accents)

Origin

From German Karst. The German term most likely derives from the Slovene placename Kras (the Kras), although some scholars dispute this.

Full definition of karst

Noun

1. (geology) A type of land formation, usually with many caves formed through the dissolving of limestone by underground drainage.
• 1978, M. M. Sweeting, “The Karst of Kweilin, Southern China,” The Geographical Journal, vol. 144, no. 2, p. 200:In the time available to us on our geomorphological tour we were not able to see the higher and younger karsts of Kweichow and Yunnan and Kunming.
• 2009, Katherine Harmon, “Top 10 New Species Discovered in 2008,” ScientificAmerican.com, May 29, 2009:The shells are just 0.04 inch (one millimeter) long and were found on a karst formation where conditions are damp, but the snails that inhabit them have yet to be observed.

Derived terms

• karstology
• thermokarst

Anagrams

• karts
• stark