atoll

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 25, 2008 is: atoll • \AT-tawl\  • noun : a coral island consisting of a reef surrounding a lagoon Examples: The Marshall Islands, in the central Pacific Ocean, consist of five islands and 29 atolls, which are each made up of many islets. Did you know? If you are lucky enough to sail south and west of Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean, you'll find the Maldives, a group of about 1,200 coral islands and sandbanks that form the Republic of Maldives. Many islands in that independent nation demonstrate the archetypal atoll, and geographers often use them to point out the characteristic features of such coral islands. Given how prevalent atolls are there, it isn't surprising that "atoll" comes from the name for that kind of island in Divehi, the official language of the Maldives. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.