savanna
/səˈvænə/
noun
Origin
Taíno
zabana — flat plain or meadow
Overview
Meaning Now
- A grassy plain in tropical and subtropical regions, with few trees.
Literal older meaning
a treeless plain
Language path
Taíno → Spanish → English
Earliest form
zavana
Earliest period
16th century
Journey
The term entered European languages through the reports of 16th-century Spanish explorers who encountered the extensive grassy plains of the Caribbean and the Americas. It eventually became the standard geographical term for tropical and subtropical grasslands worldwide.
Evolution
- 15th century (Taíno)
zabana
“flat, open plain”
Native term encountered by Spanish explorers in the Caribbean.
- 16th century (Spanish)
sabana
“a large, treeless plain”
Adopted into Spanish to describe tropical grasslands.
- 17th century (English)
savanna
“a tropical grassland”
Borrowed from Spanish during exploration of the Americas.
Connections
Related across languages
Spanish
sabana
savanna
Portuguese
savana
savanna
Explore next
Related to savanna
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.