Nearby Words
noun
1.
Often, straits. (used with a singular verb) a narrow passage of water connecting two large bodies of water.
2.
Often, straits. a position of difficulty, distress, or need: Ill and penniless, he was in sad straits indeed.
3.
Archaic. a narrow passage or area.
4.
an isthmus.
adjective Archaic.
5.
narrow: Strait is the gate.
6.
affording little space; confined in area.
7.
strict, as in requirements or principles.
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Straits
is always a great word to know.
So is doohickey. Does it mean:
| a gadget; dingus; thingumbob. |
| a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare. |
Origin:
1150–1200; Middle English streit < Old French estreit < Latin strictus past participle of stringere to bind; see strain1
1150–1200; Middle English streit < Old French estreit < Latin strictus past participle of stringere to bind; see strain1
Related forms
strait·ly, adverb
strait·ness, noun
Antonyms
2. ease.
2. ease.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To straits
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
strait
mid-14c., "narrow, confined space or place," specifically of bodies of water from late 14c., noun use of adj. strait "narrow, strict" (late 13c.), from O.Fr. estreit (Fr. étroit) "tight, close, narrow" (also used as a noun), from L. strictus, pp. of stringere "bind or draw tight" (see
EXPAND strain (v.)). Sense of "difficulty, plight" (usually straits) first recorded 1540s. Strait and narrow "conventional way of life" is recorded from mid-14c. (see straight (adj.2)). Strait-laced is 1540s, of stays or bodices; figurative sense of "over-precise, prudish" is from 1550s. Strait-jacket is attested from 1814, earlier strait-waistcoat (1753).
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary
strait (strāt)
n.
A narrow passage, such as the upper or lower opening of the pelvic canal.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
strait  (strāt) Pronunciation Key
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 Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
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