strait
- strait
strait (
n.) 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
STRAIN (
Cf. 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 (
Cf. straight) (
adj.2)).
Etymology dictionary.
2014.
:
Look at other dictionaries:
Strait — Strait, n.; pl. {Straits}. [OE. straight, streit, OF. estreit, estroit. See {Strait}, a.] 1. A narrow pass or passage. [1913 Webster] He brought him through a darksome narrow strait To a broad gate all built of beaten gold. Spenser. [1913… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Strait — Strait, a. [Compar. {Straiter}; superl. {Straitest}.] [OE. straight, streyt, streit, OF. estreit, estroit, F. [ e]troit, from L. strictus drawn together, close, tight, p. p. of stringere to draw tight. See 2nd {Strait}, and cf. {Strict}.] 1.… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
strait — n 1 Strait, sound, channel, passage, narrows can all denote a long and comparatively narrow stretch of water connecting two larger bodies. Strait, often as the plural straits with either singular or plural construction, denotes a relatively short … New Dictionary of Synonyms
Strait — ist der Familienname folgender Personen: George Strait (* 1952), US amerikanischer Musiker George Strait Jr. (George „Bubba“ Strait Jr.; * 1981), US amerikanischer Country Sänger, Songwriter und Rodeocowboy Horace B. Strait (1835–1894), US… … Deutsch Wikipedia
strait — strait·en; strait·ly; strait·ness; strait; strait·laced·ly; strait·laced·ness; … English syllables
strait — [streıt] n [Date: 1300 1400; Origin: strait narrow (13 20 centuries), from Old French estreit, from Latin strictus; STRICT] 1.) also straits [plural] a narrow passage of water between two areas of land, usually connecting two seas ▪ the Bering… … Dictionary of contemporary English
Strait — Strait, a. A variant of {Straight}. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Strait — Strait, adv. Strictly; rigorously. [Obs.] Shak. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Strait — Strait, v. t. To put to difficulties. [Obs.] Shak. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
strait — [n1] crisis, difficulty bewilderment, bind, bottleneck*, choke point*, contingency, crossroad, dilemma, distress, embarrassment, emergency, exigency, extremity, hardship, hole*, mess*, mystification, pass, perplexity, pinch*, plight, predicament … New thesaurus
