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heat island

An area, such as a city or industrial site, that has consistently higher temperatures than surrounding areas, as because of lack of vegetation, the low albedo of roofing materials and asphalt, and the production of waste heat by vehicles or buildings.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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