vernal pool

noun

A temporary pool that occurs seasonally in places with poor drainage, often with the onset of spring rains.

Similar

Meanings

nounvernal pool (plural vernal pools)

plural vernal pools

  1. A temporary pool that occurs seasonally in places with poor drainage, often with the onset of spring rains.

    The report Sliding toward Extinction indicated that 66%, or nearly 2.8 million acres (1,131,000 ha), of Central Valley vernal pools has been lost.

    1992, Allan A. Schoenherr, A Natural History of California, page 526

    Synonyms: turlough

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA temporary pool that occurs seasonally in places with poor drainage, often with the onset of spring rains.

Similar
Also see

Origin

From vernal (“occurring in spring”) + pool.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

vernal pool. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/vernal%20pool

MLA

“vernal pool.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/vernal%20pool. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “vernal pool,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/vernal%20pool.

Source: vernal pool on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.