The word 'tundra' entered English in the mid-19th century, borrowed directly from Russian 'тундра' (tundra). The Russian term itself originates from the Saami (Lapp) languages of northern Finland and the Kola Peninsula, where a word like 'tundar' or 'tunturi' refers to a treeless plain or a flat-topped hill. This etymological journey reflects the geographical origin of the concept, moving from the indigenous languages of the Arctic peoples into Russian as they expanded northward, and finally into English as a precise scientific and geographical term. It describes the specific biome characterized by permafrost, low-growing vegetation, and an absence of trees.

The word is a simplex loanword from Russian. It does not contain separable morphemes within its English spelling.