playa

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: pla=ya

CIDE DICTIONARY

playa, n. [Sp.].

 A beach; a strand; in the plains and deserts of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, a broad, level spot, on which subsequently becomes dry by evaporation.  Bartlett.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

playa, n. a flat dried-up area, esp. a desert basin from which water evaporates quickly.

Etymology

Sp., = beach, f. LL plagia

THESAURUS

playa

alkali flat, alluvial plain, bank, basin, beach, berm, bottomland, bushveld, campo, champaign, champaign country, coast, coastal plain, coastland, coastline, delta, desert, down, downs, embankment, fell, flat, flat country, flatland, flats, foreshore, grass veld, grassland, heath, ironbound coast, lande, level, lido, littoral, llano, lowland, lowlands, lunar mare, mare, mesa, mesilla, moor, moorland, open country, pampa, pampas, peneplain, plage, plain, plains, plateau, prairie, riverside, riviera, rockbound coast, salt flat, salt marsh, salt pan, sands, savanna, sea margin, seabank, seabeach, seaboard, seacliff, seacoast, seashore, seaside, sebkha, shingle, shore, shoreline, steppe, strand, submerged coast, table, tableland, tidewater, tree veld, tundra, upland, vega, veld, waterfront, waterside, weald, wide-open spaces, wold

ROGET THESAURUS

playa

Land

N land, earth, ground, dry land, terra firma, continent, mainland, peninsula, chersonese, delta, tongue of land, neck of land, isthmus, oasis, promontory, highland, coast, shore, scar, strand, beach, playa, bank, lea, seaboard, seaside, seabank, seacoast, seabeach, ironbound coast, loom of the land, derelict, innings, alluvium, alluvion, ancon, riverbank, river bank, levee, soil, glebe, clay, loam, marl, cledge, chalk, gravel, mold, subsoil, clod, clot, rock, crag, acres, real estate, landsman, earthy, continental, midland, coastal, littoral, riparian, alluvial, terrene, landed, predial, territorial, geophilous, ripicolous, ashore, on shore, on land.

Plain

N plain, table-land, face of the country, open country, champaign country, basin, downs, waste, weary waste, desert, wild, steppe, pampas, savanna, prairie, heath, common, wold, veldt, moor, moorland, bush, plateau, campagna, alkali flat, llano, mesa, mesilla, playa, shaking prairie, trembling prairie, vega, meadow, mead, haugh, pasturage, park, field, lawn, green, plat, plot, grassplat, greensward, sward, turf, sod, heather, lea, ley, lay, grounds, maidan, agostadero, champaign, alluvial, campestral, campestrial, campestrian, campestrine.