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Glite Dictionary
Nubian Desert

Nubian Desert

7.5
An arid flat area of sand and rock in the northeast of Sudan between the Nile and the Red Sea
  • proper noun
translation icon : Desierto Nubio
  • The Nubian Desert is known for its harsh climate and sparse vegetation.

Examples

  • Annual rainfall in the Nubian Desert is extremely low, making it one of the driest places on Earth.

  • Explorers crossed the Nubian Desert during their research expeditions in Sudan.

  • The Nubian Desert is known for its stunning landscapes.

  • Have you ever visited the Nubian Desert?

  • Annual rainfall in the Nubian Desert is extremely low, making it one of the driest places on Earth.

  • Explorers crossed the Nubian Desert during their research expeditions in Sudan.

  • The Nubian Desert is known for its harsh climate and sparse vegetation.

Surface Forms

Nubian Desert main

Morphology

Nubian + desert

This is a place-name adjective + geographic noun combination: if a B1 learner knows 'Nubian' (relating to Nubia) and 'desert' (an arid region), they can directly infer it refers to the desert associated with Nubia. The construction place-adjective + noun is cross-linguistically common and follows regular compositional patterns, so the meaning is predictable from its parts.

Etymology

Nubian Desert gets its name from Nubia, the old land along the Nile where Nubian people lived. One popular idea says the word 'Nubia' may come from an Egyptian word for 'gold', so Nubian Desert simply means the desert of that region and its people.