karst

noun

ˈkärst How to pronounce karst (audio)
: an irregular limestone region with sinkholes, underground streams, and caverns
karstic
ˈkär-stik How to pronounce karst (audio)
adjective

Examples of karst in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The country’s untamed beauty is as soaring as its limestone karsts, wild as its lush evergreen rainforests, and calming as its pristine beaches. — Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 2 Mar. 2025 Halong Bay, Vietnam A UNESCO World Heritage site, Halong Bay is a truly singular location famed for its aquamarine waters peppered with dramatic limestone karsts and caves awaiting exploration. — Sandra MacGregor, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025 The Neanderthal in the karst: First dating, morphometric, and paleogenetic data on the fossil skeleton from Altamura (Italy) National Library of Medicine. — Anna Nordseth, Discover Magazine, 2 Jan. 2025 Lan Ha Bay is Cát Bà Island’s crown jewel, where imposing limestone karsts bursting out of jade-green water craft an otherworldly landscape. — Alexandra Gillespie, Outside Online, 16 Dec. 2024 See All Example Sentences for karst

Word History

Etymology

German, from Slovene dialect or Croatian dialect kras, kars, type of rock, region composed of such rock

First Known Use

1902, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of karst was in 1902

Rhymes for karst

See All Rhymes for karst

Browse Nearby Words

karst
Karst
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Karst.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/karst. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

Geographical Definition

Karst

geographical name

ˈkärst How to pronounce Karst (audio)
variants or Kras
ˈkräs How to pronounce Karst (audio)
or Italian Carso
ˈkär-(ˌ)sō How to pronounce Karst (audio)
limestone plateau northeast of the Istrian Peninsula in western Slovenia extending into eastern Italy

More from Merriam-Webster on karst

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about karst

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

More Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

What do SCOTUS, POTUS, and FLOTUS mean?

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

More Words with Remarkable Origins

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments
See More

Popular Features

See More

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

What do SCOTUS, POTUS, and FLOTUS mean?

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
dog-in-disguise
Rhyme Disguise Quiz Pair up words that look different but sound alike.
See All