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strait

[ streyt ]
/ streÉȘt /
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See synonyms for: strait / straiter / straitest / straits on Thesaurus.com
noun
Often straits. (used with a singular verb) a narrow passage of water connecting two large bodies of water.
Often straits. a position of difficulty, distress, or need: Ill and penniless, he was in sad straits indeed.
Archaic. a narrow passage or area.
an isthmus.
adjective Archaic.
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Origin of strait

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English streit “narrow, a strait,” from Old French estreit “narrow, tight,” from Latin strictus, past participle of stringere “to tighten, bind”; see strain1

synonym study for strait

2. See emergency.

OTHER WORDS FROM strait

straitly, adverbstraitness, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH strait

straight, strait

Words nearby strait

strain gauge, strain hardening, straining arch, straining piece, straining sill, strait, straiten, straitjacket, strait-lace, strait-laced, Straits dollar
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

Words related to strait

predicament, bewilderment, bind, bottleneck, contingency, crossroad, dilemma, distress, embarrassment, emergency, exigency, extremity, hardship, hole, mess, mystification, pass, perplexity, pinch, plight

How to use strait in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for strait

strait
/ (streÉȘt) /
noun
(often plural)
  1. a narrow channel of the sea linking two larger areas of sea
  2. (capital as part of a name)the Strait of Gibraltar
(often plural) a position of acute difficulty (often in the phrase in dire or desperate straits)
archaic a narrow place or passage
adjective archaic
(of spaces, etc) affording little room
(of circumstances, etc) limiting or difficult
severe, strict, or scrupulous

Derived forms of strait

straitly, adverbstraitness, noun

Word Origin for strait

C13: from Old French estreit narrow, from Latin strictus constricted, from stringere to bind tightly
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

Medical definitions for strait

strait
[ strāt ]
n.
A narrow passage, such as the upper or lower opening of the pelvic canal.
The American HeritageŸ Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Scientific definitions for strait

strait
[ strāt ]
A narrow waterway joining two larger bodies of water. The Strait of Gibraltar, for example, connects the Mediterranean Sea with the Atlantic Ocean.
The American HeritageŸ Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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