| 释义 |
strait
I. \ˈstrāt, usu -ād.+V\ adjective
(-er/-est)
Etymology: Middle English streit, strait, straight, from Old French estreit, from Latin strictus, from past participle of stringere to bind tight, press together — more at strain
1. archaic
a. : giving little room : not broad : narrow
< strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life and few there be that find it — Mt 7:14 (Authorized Version) >
b. : limited in space or time : restricted
c. : closely fitting : tightly drawn : constricted, tight, close
2. archaic : strict, rigorous, exacting
< the straitest sect of our religion — Acts 26:5 (ASV) >
3.
a. obsolete : definite, exact
b. chiefly dialect : strictly limited as to meaning or application
4. : intimate, familiar
< a strait alliance >
5.
a. : distressful, difficult
b. : limited as to means or resources : straitened
6. obsolete
a. : parsimonious, mean, stingy
b. : inadequate through scantiness of dimensions
Synonyms: see narrow
II. adverb
Etymology: Middle English streit, from streit, adjective
: straitly: as
a. obsolete : tightly; also : stingily
b. obsolete : securely
c. : in a manner likely to cause hardship : oppressively
d. obsolete : strictly, precisely
III. noun
(-s)
Etymology: Middle English streit, strait, from streit, strait, adjective
1.
a. archaic : a narrow space or passage
b. : a comparatively narrow passageway connecting two large bodies of water
< the Strait of Gibraltar >
— often used in plural
c. : a neck of land
d. obsolete : ravine, gorge
2. straits plural, obsolete : cloth of single width
3. : a condition of distressing narrowness or restriction : a situation of perplexity or distress : difficulty, need — often used in plural
< reduced to pitiful straits >
< in dire straits >
Synonyms: see juncture
IV.
archaic
variant of straight |