strait

strait
1 noun (C)
1 also straits (plural) a narrow passage of water between two areas of land, usually connecting two seas: the Strait of Gibraltar
2 be in dire straits to be in a difficult situation, especially a financial one, that could have very bad or dangerous results: If one of the family is in dire straits, we try to help each other out.
2 adjective biblical narrow and therefore usually difficult to pass through

Longman dictionary of contemporary English. 2004.

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  • 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 — (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.… …   Etymology dictionary

  • 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

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