Meaning & use
Barchan
Last updated
A crescent-shaped sand dune formed by wind blowing consistently from one direction, with its horns pointing downwind.
See it in a sentence
The satellite images showed a field of barchan dunes migrating slowly across the desert.
Researchers studied how barchan dunes change shape as wind patterns shift.
A note on using this word
Borrowed from Russian (originally from a Turkic word), the term was first used to describe dunes observed in Central Asian deserts.
Words with a similar meaning
crescent dune
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