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rainforest

rainforest

103 2.3
A large, thick forest that gets a lot of rain and has many plants and animals
  • noun
  • /ˈreɪnˌfɔrɪst/
translation icon : selva tropical
  • They'd preserved a section of the rainforest that had once covered the entire island.
  • tropical rainforest
  • rainforest ecosystem
  • preserve the rainforest

Now that doesn't mean out in the rainforest hugging a tree being green.

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Examples

  • We would cycle through the Amazon rainforest or travel to the unspoiled landscape of the Himalayas.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • I can't believe you and Rachel are gonna be spending six months in the rainforest.

  • And, and the Amazon rainforest is another example of this.

  • Did you know, fun fact, this is the oldest rainforest in the world.

  • The Amazon Jungle, the largest tropical rainforest in the world, is burning.

  • More than 18% of tropical rainforests are now covered by totally protected areas.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Then he noticed that the rainforest, normally overflowing with the sounds of life, was silent.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • I think back to the Amazon rainforest and the dire situation of its Indigenous peoples.

    Academic text (2008)
  • Albino ironwood, right out of the Peruvian rainforest.

  • The Amazon rainforest is home to countless species of plants and animals, making it one of the most diverse ecosystems on the planet.

Synonyms

jungle
vsrainforest
383 1.0

A dense tropical forest with thick plants that are hard to walk through

emphasizes wet, diverse habitat rather than the difficulty of passage
rain forest
vsrainforest
26 1.6

A large thick forest in the tropics with very heavy rain

is broader and not limited to tropical regions
tropical rain forest
vsrainforest
3 2.7

A large area of tall trees near the equator that gets heavy rain and has many plants and animals

focuses on rainfall and diversity rather than evergreen detail

How Rainy

rainforest
103 2.3
forest
970 1.0
woodland
27 2.6

Surface Forms

rainforest singular
rainforests plural

Morphology

rainforest = rain + forest (transparent) = rain + forest

The meaning is directly the combination of 'rain' and 'forest': a forest in a very rainy region, which is readily inferable by learners.

Etymology

The word rainforest comes from the simple parts rain and forest, so it literally means 'a forest that gets a lot of rain', which is why it refers to the very wet, dense forests like the Amazon.