name · noun · 2 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.
/kɑɹst/
rhymes with -ɑɹst
Received-Pronunciation:käst
Received-Pronunciation:/kɑːst/
General-American:kärst
General-American:/kɑɹst/
Australia:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -ɑː(ɹ)st
homophone: cast
homophone: caste (non-rhotic, trap–bath split)
CMU ARPABET:K AA1 R S T
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
name
Meaning 1
A mountainous karst plateau in northeastern Italy and southwestern Slovenia; in full, Karst Plateau.
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
A type of land formation, usually with many caves formed through the dissolving of limestone by underground drainage.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: geography, geology, natural-sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
Borrowed from German Karst.
Borrowed from German Karst. The German term and the Slovene placename Kras (the Karst Plateau) are from Proto-Slavic *korsъ, from Italo-Dalmatian carsus (cf. Italian carso), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *ker- (“hard; rock”). More at Karst. The metathesis in the Slovene term precludes German borrowing from Slovene.
Across languages
Translations
48 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Chinese Mandarin:
喀斯特
(Kāsītè)
— mountainous region in Italy and Slovenia
Finnish:
Karst
— mountainous region in Italy and Slovenia
German:
Karst
— mountainous region in Italy and Slovenia
Russian:
Крас
(Kras)
— mountainous region in Italy and Slovenia
Serbo-Croatian:
Кра̏с
— mountainous region in Italy and Slovenia
Serbo-Croatian:
Krȁs
— mountainous region in Italy and Slovenia
Slovene:
Krás
— mountainous region in Italy and Slovenia
Aragonese:
karst
— type of land formation
Armenian:
կարստ
(karst)
— type of land formation
Azerbaijani:
karst
— type of land formation
Belarusian:
карст
(karst)
— type of land formation
Bulgarian:
карст
(karst)
— type of land formation
Catalan:
carst
— type of land formation
Chinese Cantonese:
巖溶 /岩溶
(ngaam4 jung4)
— type of land formation
Chinese Mandarin:
岩溶
(yánróng)
— type of land formation
Chinese Mandarin:
喀斯特
(kāsītè)
— type of land formation
Czech:
kras
— type of land formation
Dutch:
karst
— type of land formation
Esperanto:
karsto
— type of land formation
Estonian:
karst
— type of land formation
Finnish:
karsti
— type of land formation
French:
karst
— type of land formation
German:
Karst
— type of land formation
Hungarian:
karszt
— type of land formation
Icelandic:
karst
— type of land formation
Irish:
carst
— type of land formation
Irish:
boireann
— type of land formation
Italian:
carso
— type of land formation
Japanese:
カルスト
(karusuto)
— type of land formation
Macedonian:
карст
(karst)
— type of land formation
