Standard Lemma guide

karoo

name · noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /kəˈruːə/
  • /kəˈruː/
  • /kəˈru/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

name

Meaning 1

The vast plain in South Africa that borders the Kalahari Desert.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Any vast prairie bordering a desert.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Any of the composite bushes typical of the Karoo.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: South-Africa

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Afrikaans Karoo, from Khoekhoe ǃ’Aukarob (“hardveld”).

Originates from the Khoikhoi word karo (meaning dry, and hard)