Meanings
plural vernal pools
- 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 526Synonyms: turlough
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA temporary pool that occurs seasonally in places with poor drainage, often with the onset of spring rains.
Origin
From vernal (“occurring in spring”) + pool.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
vernal pool. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/vernal%20pool
“vernal pool.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/vernal%20pool. Accessed November 4, 2026.
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.