strait
part of speech
noun (a strait, straits; often plural «the Straits of …»)
meaning for a pupil
1) A strait is a narrow passage of sea between two pieces of land that joins two larger seas. tree →
2) «In dire straits» means in a very difficult or dangerous situation, often with money. tree →
sense in the lessons
In the Tanakh and Jewish tradition: "Straits" and "strait" mean narrowness, trouble and distress, or a place too small. Hebrew words for trouble share a root with "narrow." Interpretation: Tradition reads the straits as the narrow place of suffering. God's answer is "enlargement," which means relief and freedom. In the primary lessons: In geography lessons pupils find straits on maps: the Strait of Gibraltar between Europe and Africa, Bass Strait between mainland Australia and Tasmania, Cook Strait between New Zealand's two islands, the Bering Strait between Asia and North America. Ships use straits as shortcuts. Phrases: «the Strait of …», «in dire straits», «strait-laced».
examples
- Out of my straits I called upon the LORD; He answered me with great enlargement. (Writings PSA.118.5, JPS 1917) tree →
- The cords of death compassed me, and the straits of the nether-world got hold upon me; I found trouble and sorrow. (Writings PSA.116.3, JPS 1917) tree →
- And the sons of the prophets said unto Elisha: 'Behold now, the place where we dwell before thee is too strait for us. (Prophets 2KI.6.1, JPS 1917) tree →
- The Strait of Gibraltar separates Spain and Morocco. tree →
- The ferry crosses Cook Strait from Wellington. tree →
- Bass Strait lies between Victoria and Tasmania. tree →
- Long ago people walked across the Bering Strait when sea levels were low. tree →
- Ships sail through the narrow strait. tree →
- After the flood, the family were in dire straits. tree →
- Find the strait on the map and colour it blue. tree →
- The black horse leaped the strait. tree →
note
Homophone: «straight» (not bent). A strait is water; an isthmus is a narrow strip of land joining two lands — the opposite. «Straitjacket» uses this old meaning of «strait» = tight. Plural: straits.
In the corpora
- Out of my straits I called upon the LORD; He answered me with great enlargement.
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, Māori and Native American peoples are the first peoples of their lands, and their cultures deserve respect.
- A strait is a narrow stretch of sea joining two larger bodies of water, like a door between two rooms.
- Constantinople, later called Istanbul, became the Ottoman capital and controlled the straits between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «strait» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.