polar circle

noun

: either of the two parallels of latitude each at a distance from a pole of the earth equal to about 23 degrees 27 minutes

Examples of polar circle in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Polar night is the season that takes place each year inside polar circles when night lasts for more than 24 hours. Cecilia Blomdahl, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Oct. 2024 Because the Earth rotates on a tilted axis at 23.5 degrees, there are periods of the year when the areas located in the polar circles on the top and bottom of our planet are either completely obscured from or completely exposed to the light of the sun. Cecilia Blomdahl, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Oct. 2024 Around 50 million years ago, a lush, ‘tropical-like’ forest thrived near the polar circle. Ashlyn Messier, Fox News, 6 Sep. 2024 Priced at $72,000, the Brilliant Skeleton Northern Lights pays homage to the hypnotizing natural phenomenon, Aurora Borealis, which occurs in the skies near the polar circle. Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 18 May 2024 At that time, the Australian state of Victoria – where volunteers first found the fossils in the late 1980s – would have crossed into the polar circle, meaning it would’ve been covered in darkness for weeks on end during the winter. Matt Hrodey, Discover Magazine, 1 June 2023 Sailing along the western Antarctic Peninsula from the South Shetland Islands down to the polar circle, guests do things like record the temperature and salinity of seawater to aid the vital mission of tracking the impact of melting glaciers in one of the fastest-warming spots on earth. Mark Johanson, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 July 2021

Word History

First Known Use

1556, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of polar circle was in 1556

Dictionary Entries Near polar circle

Cite this Entry

“Polar circle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/polar%20circle. Accessed 14 Nov. 2024.

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