Definition of "boreal" [bo•re•al]

• Of or relating to the north; northern. (adjective)
• Of or concerning the north wind. (adjective)
• Of or relating to the forest areas of the northern North Temperate Zone, dominated by coniferous trees such as spruce, fir, and pine. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Linda told him with amazing inanity that his opinion of her was unreliable; and, contented, he lightly pursued his admiration of what he called her boreal charm."
• ""You forget the light which we call boreal," said the ecclesiastic."
• "A simulated instantaneous 2 °C increase in average growing-season temperature was applied with two different precipitation regimes (a 20% increase and a 20% decrease from current precipitation levels) to explore the possible influence of climate change on long-term boreal forest ecosystem dynamics."