Drake Passage

American  

noun

1. a strait between southern South America and the South Shetland Islands, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

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Drake Passage British  

noun

1. a strait between S South America and the South Shetland Islands, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans

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Etymology

Origin of Drake Passage

First recorded in 1830–40 as Drake's Passage; named after Sir Francis Drake

Example Sentences

I’m not a seafarer; this is alarming, but apparently not unusual on the Drake Passage - the stretch of the notoriously rough Southern Ocean we are on.

From BBC • Jun. 7, 2024

You can feel the chilling effect of the Drake Passage when you cross it on a ship, says Naveira Garabato.

From National Geographic • Jan. 24, 2024

Temperatures are relatively mild and the normally tempestuous Drake Passage is calmer.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 1, 2024

You’re not on Antarctica’s Drake Passage, or out on the Pacific Ocean — wait a minute, you’re not even a sailor.

From New York Times • Dec. 14, 2023

And in October 2022, satellites spotted the world's largest iceberg, A-76A, as it entered the Drake Passage and began drifting toward the equator.

From Scientific American • Apr. 19, 2023