Russian Language Exported: POLYNYA
Polynya is one of the key words in the lexicon of polar explorers worldwide and it originated in the Russian Arctic.
A ‘polynya’ (English: ‘polynya’, German: ‘polynya’, French: ‘polynie’, Spanish: ‘polinia’) is an area of open water surrounded by ice. The word itself comes from the Old Russian word ‘polyi’ – ‘empty’, ‘open’. Foreign navigators borrowed this word from the Russians as early as the 19th century, during their first polar expeditions. Today, this geographical term sounds nearly identical in most languages of the world.
