Gibraltar
tər noun
1.
a British crown colony comprising a fortress and seaport located on a narrow promontory near the S tip of Spain. 1 7 / 8 sq. mi. (5 sq. km).
2.
Rock of.
a.
Ancient Calpe. a long, precipitous mountain nearly coextensive with this colony: one of the Pillars of Hercules. 1396 feet (426 meters) high; 2½ miles (4 km) long.
b.
any person or thing that has strength and endurance that can be relied on.
3.
a strait between Europe and Africa at the Atlantic entrance to the Mediterranean. 8½–23 miles (14–37 km) wide.
4.
any impregnable fortress or stronghold.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To gibraltar
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Gibraltar
is always a great word to know.
So is bezoar. Does it mean:
| a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare. |
| a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
Gibraltar (dʒɪˈbrɔːltə) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | City of Gibraltar Ancient name: Calpe a city on the Rock of Gibraltar, a limestone promontory at the tip of S Spain: settled by Moors in 711 and taken by Spain in 1462; ceded to Britain in 1713; a British crown colony (1830--1969), still politically associated with Britain; a naval and air base of strategic importance. Pop: 27 000 (2003 est). Area: 6.5 sq km (2.5 sq miles) |
| 2. | Strait of Gibraltar a narrow strait between the S tip of Spain and the NW tip of Africa, linking the Mediterranean with the Atlantic |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
Gibraltar
1592, ancient Calpe, captured 710 C.E. by Saracen leader Tarik, renamed Jebel el Tarik "the Mountain of Tarik." A British possession since 1704.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary
Gibraltar [(juh-brawl-tuhr)]A colony of Britain on the southern coast of Spain.
Note: Located on the Rock of Gibraltar, a huge limestone mass.
Note: Spain has protested British control of Gibraltar, but the dispute has remained unsettled for years.
Note: Location of an important military base; strategically significant because it can be used to keep ships from entering or leaving the Mediterranean Sea.
Note: Its seeming impregnability as a fortress during several wars led to the saying: “solid as the Rock of Gibraltar.”
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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