Bab el Mandeb

[ bahb el mahn-deb ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

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.

Bab el Mandeb

/ ˈbæb ɛl ˈmændɛb /

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

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

The affair with the Bab-el-Mandeb squadron lasted only about two hours and a-half.

It lies in the Strait of Bab-el-Mandeb, and has proved the destruction of more than one fine vessel.

Gate of Tears, the strait of Bab-el-Mandeb, so called from the shipwrecks frequent in it.

(a) It is “a phonetic corruption, perhaps a softening of the original word”; as Bab-el-mandel is a corruption of Bab-el-mandeb.

April 24, 2024gallimaufry

[gal-uh-maw-free ]

Start each day with the Word of the Day in your inbox!

By clicking "Sign Up", you are accepting Dictionary.com Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policies.

Browse