Thule

1
[ thoo-lee for 1, 2; too-lee for 3 ]
/ ˈθu li for 1, 2; ˈtu li for 3 /

noun

the ancient Greek and Latin name for an island or region variously identified as one of the Shetland Islands, Iceland, or Norway: supposed to be the most northerly region of the world.
ultima Thule.
a settlement in NW Greenland: site of U.S. air base.

Definition for thule (2 of 3)

Thule 2
[ too-lee ]
/ ˈtu li /

adjective

of or relating to an Eskimo culture flourishing from a.d. 500–1400, and extending throughout the Arctic from Greenland to Alaska.

Origin of Thule

2
named after Thule, Greenland

Definition for thule (3 of 3)

ultima Thule
[ uhl-tuh-muh thoo-lee; Latin oo l-ti-mah too-le ]
/ ˈʌl tə mə ˈθu li; Latin ˈʊl tɪˌmɑ ˈtu lɛ /

noun

(italics) Latin. the highest degree attainable.
the farthest point; the limit of any journey.
the point believed by the ancients to be farthest north.
Also called Thule.

Origin of ultima Thule

First recorded in 1655–65; literally, farthest Thule

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Example sentences from the Web for thule

British Dictionary definitions for thule (1 of 2)

Thule
/ (ˈθjuːlɪ) /

noun

Also called: ultima Thule a region believed by ancient geographers to be the northernmost land in the inhabited world: sometimes thought to have been Iceland, Norway, or one of the Shetland Islands
an Inuit settlement in NW Greenland: a Danish trading post, founded in 1910, and US air force base

British Dictionary definitions for thule (2 of 2)

ultima Thule
/ (ˈθjuːlɪ) /

noun

another name for Thule
any distant or unknown region
a remote goal or aim

Word Origin for ultima Thule

Latin: the most distant Thule