Bab el Mandeb

[ bahb el mahn-deb ]

/ ˌbɑb ɛl ˈmɑn dɛb /

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noun

a strait between the Eritrea-Djibouti border area on the Horn of Africa and the southwestern tip of Yemen, connecting the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. About 20 mi. (32 km) wide.

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Also called Man·deb Strait

[mahn-deb streyt] /ˈmɑn dɛb ˈstreɪt/ .

Origin of Bab el Mandeb

First recorded in 1790–95; from Arabic: literally, “Gate of Tears”

Words nearby Bab el Mandeb

babe in the woods, Babel, Babelism, Babelize, Babelized, Bab el Mandeb, Babel, Tower of, Baber, babesia, babesiosis, Babette

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Bab el Mandeb in a sentence

El Bulli, for instance, previously named the best restaurant in the world, shuttered its doors after only a few decades.
Inside The World’s 10 Oldest Restaurants|Justin Jones|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In 2010, La Rana Dorada followed in Istmo's footsteps and opened a brewpub in the neighborhood of El Congrejo.
House of the Witch: The Renegade Craft Brewers of Panama|Jeff Campagna|November 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
So, Schmidt followed the gold rush to the El Paso mountains and claimed an area of mining land.
The Mole Man’s Tunnel to Nowhere|Nina Strochlic|November 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“We are happy, as happy as before,” she said, according to El País.
Adiós to the Diva Duchess|Barbie Latza Nadeau|November 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST

By Tuesday night, going through Bet El was no longer possible.
The Radicals Who Slaughtered a Synagogue|Creede Newton|November 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Elyon is the name of an ancient Phœnician god, slain by his son El, no doubt the “first-born of death” in Job xviii.
Solomon and Solomonic Literature|Moncure Daniel Conway
El Imparcial maintained that he was worthy of being honoured as a 19th century conquering hero.
The Philippine Islands|John Foreman
There is always in the background of my mind dread lest help should reach the enemy before we have done with Sedd-el-Bahr.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton
However, even that may come to pass in the struggle for "el high life," of which some of the Spanish writers complain so bitterly.
Spanish Life in Town and Country|L. Higgin and Eugne E. Street
If they do so now it is an instance of the race for "el high life," of which the writer quoted above complains.
Spanish Life in Town and Country|L. Higgin and Eugne E. Street

British Dictionary definitions for Bab el Mandeb

Bab el Mandeb

/ (ˈbæb ɛl ˈmændɛb) /

noun

a strait between SW Arabia and E Africa, connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012