strait

CEFRB2

/stɹeɪt/

noun · adjective

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A narrow passage of water connecting two larger bodies of water.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    Righteous, strict.

Examples

  • At this point the sea narrows into a strait.

  • This boat sails through the Strait of Gibraltar.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
5

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meaning

  1. Tight; close; tight-fitting.

adjective

Extra meanings

  1. Narrow; restricted as to space or room; close.

  2. Close; intimate; near; familiar.

More examples

In context

  • to follow the strait and narrow

  • 1894, Ernest Dowson, “To One in Bedlam” in The Second Book of The Rhymers’ Club, London: Elkin Mathews & John Lane, p. 35, Those scentless wisps of straw, that miserably line His strait, caged universe, whereat the dull world stares, Pedant and pitiful.

  • 18th c., Thomas Secker, Sermons on Several Subjects, 2nd edition, 1771, Volume III, Sermon XI, p. 253, But to make your strait Circumstances yet straiter, for the Sake of idle Gratifications, and distress yourselves in Necessaries, only to indulge in Trifles...

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The ship carefully navigated through the narrow blank between the two islands.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

From Middle English streit, from Old French estreit (modern form étroit), from Latin strictus, perfect passive participle of stringō (“compress, tighten”). Doublet of stretto and strict.