isthmus

noun

isth·​mus ˈi-sməs How to pronounce isthmus (audio)
1
: a narrow strip of land connecting two larger land areas
2
: a narrow anatomical part or passage connecting two larger structures or cavities

Examples of isthmus in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Panama Panama has long been a haven for expats, from mountain town Boquete to beach town Bocas del Toro to bustling Panama City, there’s truly something to suit everyone in this diverse isthmus. Kathleen Peddicord, Forbes.com, 6 June 2025 Even after screwworms began creeping up the tail of the funnel recently, the anti-screwworm campaign had one last good chance of stopping them at a narrow isthmus in southern Mexico—after which the funnel grows dramatically wider. Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, 27 May 2025 The latest screwworm detections in Oaxaca and Veracruz are just beyond the isthmus. Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, 27 May 2025 Steamships laden with mail sailed from the East Coast to Panama, where the mail was taken off the ships, transported in canoes or on pack animals, and handed to another steamship waiting on the Pacific side of the isthmus. Hailey Branson-Potts, Los Angeles Times, 23 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for isthmus

Word History

Etymology

Latin, from Greek isthmos

First Known Use

1555, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of isthmus was in 1555

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Isthmus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/isthmus. Accessed 14 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

isthmus

noun
isth·​mus ˈis-məs How to pronounce isthmus (audio)
: a narrow strip of land connecting two larger land areas

Medical Definition

isthmus

noun
isth·​mus ˈis-məs How to pronounce isthmus (audio)
: a contracted anatomical part or passage connecting two larger structures or cavities: as
a
: an embryonic constriction separating the midbrain from the hindbrain
b
: the lower portion of the uterine corpus

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