isthmus

American  

[is-muhs] / ˈɪs məs /

noun

plural

isthmuses, isthmi

1. a narrow strip of land, bordered on both sides by water, connecting two larger bodies of land.

2. Anatomy, Zoology. a connecting, usually narrow, part, organ, or passage, especially when joining structures or cavities larger than itself.

3. Ichthyology. the narrow fleshy area between the sides of the lower jaw of a fish.

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isthmus British  

/ ˈɪsməs /

noun

1. a narrow strip of land connecting two relatively large land areas

2. anatomy

   1. a narrow band of tissue connecting two larger parts of a structure

   2. a narrow passage connecting two cavities

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isthmus Scientific  

/ ĭs′məs /

plural

isthmuses

1. A narrow strip of land connecting two larger masses of land.

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isthmus Cultural  

1. A narrow strip of land that connects two larger bodies of land and has water on both sides.

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Other Word Forms

• isthmoid adjective

Etymology

Origin of isthmus

1545–55; < Latin < Greek isthmós neck (of land)

Example Sentences

Paterson persuaded the Scottish parliament to establish a new enterprise based on England’s East India Company to found a Scottish colony on the narrow isthmus joining North and South America.

From The Wall Street Journal

The waterway was cleaved across the most narrow section of the Panamanian isthmus in the late 1800s and early 1900s, by French and then U.S. engineers.

From Los Angeles Times

Perhaps to that end, López Obrador announced Friday that Mexico plans to extend a cargo train line that spans a narrow isthmus its the south to the Guatemalan border.

From Seattle Times

The migrant route through the narrow isthmus grew exponentially in popularity in recent years with the help of organized crime in Colombia, making it an affordable, if dangerous, land route for hundreds of thousands.

From Seattle Times

Many gay and trans people in Mexico City and elsewhere call themselves muxes — though community leaders here, concerned about cultural appropriation, say only Zapotec people from the isthmus can qualify.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• collar