Savanna

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /səˈvænə/

Definitions

1. A grassy plain in tropical and subtropical regions characterized by scattered trees and significant biodiversity is known for its unique ecosystem and wildlife
2. This type of landscape features a mix of open grasslands and occasional trees, supporting various animal species and plant life
3. A type of ecosystem characterized by grasslands dotted with trees, this area supports a wide variety of wildlife and plant species essential for biodiversity

Etymology: The word arrived in English by way of Spanish, but its first stop was the Caribbean. Spanish "sabana" was borrowed from Taíno, the language of the Indigenous peoples of the Caribbean islands, where it named open, treeless grassland. Spanish colonists encountered these landscapes in the Greater Antilles and adopted the term into their own vocabulary. From there it spread to the mainland and eventually into English, where it came to describe a very different kind of landscape. English "savanna" refers to grassland dotted with scattered trees, a sense that differs from the bare plains the Taíno word originally named. The English form kept the Spanish spelling-based shape, with the final vowel sound preserved.

Synonyms: grassland, prairie, steppe, meadow