BharatNotes Playa
noun (countable)Usage in a UPSC answer
The Great Rann of Kutch, functioning as one of the world's largest playas, supports the unique Banni grassland ecosystem and the world's largest breeding colony of flamingos at the Flamingo City site near Khadir Island.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Word Family
playa (noun), playa lake (compound noun), salina (related noun, salt playa), sabkha (Arabic equivalent in coastal settings)
Root
Spanish playa = beach, shore; from Latin plagia = shore, flank (from Greek plagios = oblique, sideways)
Etymology
Borrowed from Spanish playa (beach or shore), which derives from Latin plagia (shore) and ultimately from Greek plagios (oblique, sideways), referring to the slanting shore where land meets water. American geographers and geologists adopted the term in the 19th century during surveys of the arid Southwest, where Spanish was the dominant regional language. The geological sense of a flat desert basin floor became standard in English geomorphological literature by the late 19th century.
Memory Hook
PLAYA = PLAY-ground for evaporites. In Spanish it means beach, but in arid geology it's the opposite — a flat, dry desert 'beach' where no permanent water exists. The Rann of Kutch is India's grand playa-stage.
Tip: press Alt+S to hear pronunciation
