Meaning
A type of island consisting of a ribbon reef that nearly or entirely surrounds a lagoon and supports, in most cases, one to many islets on the reef platform.
Etymology
Origin: Sanskrit
Borrowed from Portuguese atol, from Dhivehi އަތޮޅު (atoḷu), possibly from Prakrit *𑀲𑀁𑀢𑀻𑀞 (*saṃtīṭha), from Sanskrit सम्- (sam-) + तीर्थ (tīrtha) “level ford”. The traditional etymology from Persian آبتل (âb-tal, “water-hillock”) is unlikely.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms
NYT Puzzle Appearances
Accepted in 24 recorded puzzles:
- 2026-07-26OACHILT
- 2026-05-30OAILNTV
- 2026-05-22OATHINL
- 2026-05-17LACDORT
- 2026-02-09TACIKLO
- 2025-12-21TOALCBK
- 2025-08-25TAOHGLU
- 2025-08-20LAUOKTW
- 2025-03-15OVATRIL
- 2025-01-01TOLBGNA
- 2024-11-03LAOPRTY
- 2024-10-09OANHELT
+12 earlier appearances in the archive.