Other forms: dunes
A dune is a hill of sand shaped by the wind. Climb the dune, sand dunes, the dunes shifted.
It moves: sand blows up the gentle windward side and falls down the steep face beyond, so the whole hill travels downwind over years. Marram grass is planted to hold coastal ones in place, because dunes are the first defence against the sea.
1nounduneA hill of sand shaped by the wind.
“The children ran down the sand dune and into the sea.”
dune is a hill.
Also accepted in games: sand dune
Partly from Dutch duin and partly from a dialect form of down, a hill; both from the same Germanic root.
Proto-Indo-European
*dʰewh₂-
Proto-Indo-European
*dʰuHnom — enclosure
Proto-Celtic
*dūnom — stronghold, rampart
Proto-West Germanic
*dūnā
Middle Low German
dûne
Middle Dutch
dune
Dutch
duin
English, today
dune
Built from
Partly from a dialectal form of down; and partly from Dutch duin (from Middle Dutch dune) or from Middle Low German dûne; all ultimately from Proto-West Germanic dūnā, of unknown origin; possibly from Proto-Celtic dūnom (“stronghold, rampart”), from Proto-Indo-European dʰuHnom (“enclosure”), from dʰewh₂- (“to finish, come full circle”). a doublet of down (which see).
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA