boreal

B3O1R1E1A1L1
UK/ˈbɔːɹɪ.əl/US/ˈbɔɹi.əl/US/ˌbɔɹiˈæl/

adjective

Of, relating to, or coming from the north.

“boreal forests”

Similar
septentrionalnortherncircumboreal
Opposite
australmeridional
OriginLatin boreālis ← Ancient Greek Βορέᾱς →
Less commonScrabble 8
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Meanings

boreal1

adjectiveboreal (comparative more boreal, superlative most boreal)

comparative more boreal · superlative most boreal

  1. Of, relating to, or coming from the north.

    boreal forests

    Synonyms: septentrional, northern

Boreal2

nounBoreal (uncountable)
  1. uncountablebiologyA subdivision of the Holocene epoch.

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectiveOf, relating to, or coming from the north.

Similar
septentrionalnorthern
Opposite
australmeridional

More synonyms by meaning

adjectivecomprising or throughout far northern regions

Similar
circumborealnorthern
Also see
borealianboreanbrickcircumborealcoldfreezing coldfrostyice-coldnorthnorthernseptentrionalstone cold

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Ancient GreekΒορέᾱς“personification of the north wind”
  2. Latinboreālis“northern”
  3. Englishboreal

Borrowed from Latin boreālis (“northern”), from Boreās, from Ancient Greek Βορέᾱς (Boréās, “personification of the north wind”).

More words from Latin, Ancient Greek

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian северен
  • северен (severen)relating to the north
Catalan boreal, Període boreal
  • borealrelating to the north
  • Període borealTranslations
Dutch Boreaal
  • BoreaalTranslations
Finnish boreaalinen
  • boreaalinenrelating to the north
French boréal, Boréal
  • boréalrelating to the north
  • BoréalTranslations
German boreal, Boreal
  • borealrelating to the north
  • BorealTranslations
Hungarian Boreális
  • BoreálisTranslations
Irish bóireach, tuaisceartach
  • bóireachrelating to the north
  • tuaisceartachrelating to the north
Malay utara, keutaraan
  • utararelating to the north
  • keutaraanrelating to the north
  • borealrelating to the north
Polish północny
  • północnyrelating to the north
Portuguese boreal
  • borealrelating to the north
Romanian boreal
  • borealrelating to the north
Russian северный
  • северный (severnyj)relating to the north
Spanish boreal
  • borealrelating to the north
Swedish nordlig
  • nordligrelating to the north
Turkish kuzey
  • kuzeyrelating to the north

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with boreal

editorialmemorialtutorialequatorialterritorialjanitorialpictorialcombinatorialgubernatorialfactorialsenatorialdirectoriallorealdictatorialarmorialprosecutorialcuratorialcorporealimmemorialprofessorialarborealmultifactorialconspiratorialsectorial
All rhymes →

Anagrams

alberoRebolaArbeloRabelo
Cite this entry
APA

boreal. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/boreal

MLA

“boreal.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/boreal. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “boreal,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/boreal.

Source: boreal on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.