pampas

P3A1M3P3A1S1
UK/ˈpampəs/

noun

The extensive plains of South America south of the Amazon.

UncommonScrabble 12

Meanings

pampas1

nounpampas (sg or pl, plural pampas, singular (less common) pampa)

singular uncommon pampa

  1. pluralsingularThe extensive plains of South America south of the Amazon.

    The pampas are flat, and present no significant barriers to the building of roads or railways. Even more important, the pampas are close to the major Argentine ports of Buenos Aires, Rosario, and Bahia Blanca.

    1987, Carl E. Solberg, John D. Wirth, Thomas C. Heller, editors, The Prairies and the Pampas: Agrarian Policy in Canada and Argentina, 1880-1930, page 113
    2 more examples

    The pampas is an ecological wonderland, teeming with life and natural beauty. The pampas is renowned for its sprawling grasslands, which are home to unique species of grasses, including Paspalum, Aristida, and Stipa.

    2025, Joann Mendez, Pampas Paradise: Embracing the Natural Beauty of Argentina's Grasslands

    […] that the pampa is above all, fit for the cereals. […] that is to say, on plains without trees analogous to our pampas, as also the maize on the savannahs which are the pampas of Louisiana, […] the soil of the pampa is "excessively fertile," and […]

    1876, Richard Napp, The Argentine Republic, written in German by Richard Napp, assisted by several fellow-writers for the Central Argentine Commission on the centenary exhibition at Philadelphia (with several Maps), page 289

Pampas2

nounPampas pl (plural only)
  1. alternativepluralplural onlyAlternative form of pampas.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see

Origin

  1. Quechuapampa“land, ground”
  2. Spanishpampa
  3. Englishpampas

From (plural of) American Spanish pampa, from Quechua pampa (“land, ground”).

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Finnish pampa
  • pampathe grasslands of South America
German Pampa
  • Pampathe grasslands of South America
Polish pampa
  • pampathe grasslands of South America
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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