Karoo

//kəˈru// name, noun

name, noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    Any vast prairie bordering a desert.
  2. 2
    Any of the composite bushes typical of the Karoo. South-Africa

    "The herd is kept in an enclosure with wire fence about 7 feet high[…] They eat grass and karoo, but prefer bush of every kind, even eating the bitter aloe."

Proper Noun
  1. 1
    The vast plain in South Africa that borders the Kalahari Desert.

Example

More examples

"The herd is kept in an enclosure with wire fence about 7 feet high[…] They eat grass and karoo, but prefer bush of every kind, even eating the bitter aloe."

Etymology

Etymology 1

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

Etymology 2

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

Related phrases

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.