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dune

dune

noun DÜN Rare

Origin: Old Dutch dune (hill)

Usage Note

Dune refers to a hill of sand shaped by wind, found on beaches or in deserts. The dune du Pilat near Arcachon in south-west France is Europe's tallest sand dune and a famous tourist site. Les dunes is often used in the plural when describing a landscape. The adjective dunaire is used in ecological writing.

Examples

"Nous avons grimpé sur la dune."

Natural Translation

We climbed up the dune.

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