isthmus

noun isth·mus \ ˈi-sməs \

|Updated on: 6 Jun 2018

Definition of isthmus

1 : a narrow strip of land connecting two larger land areas

2 : a narrow anatomical part or passage connecting two larger structures or cavities

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Recent Examples of isthmus from the Web

The 11768 Northport ZIP code extends to a potpourri of beachfront houses along the isthmus of Asharoken village, separating Northport Bay from Long Island Sound, and Eatons Neck, a hamlet of sprawling lawns and large homes.

— marcelle sussman fischler, New York Times, "Northport, N.Y.: Old-Time Charm in a Waterfront Village," 2 May 2018
My uncles hopped off, driving stakes into the bank with large mallets and tying lines to keep the stern from drifting onto the low-lying isthmus.

— Sunset, "The Ultimate Venue for Your Next Family Vacay? A Houseboat," 22 Jan. 2018
The 1713 Treaty of Utrecht permanently ceded Gibraltar’s town, castle and port to Great Britain, but recovering the Rock—which is separated from Spanish territory by a narrow, sandy isthmus—has remained to this day an enduring objective for Spain.

— stephen brumwell, WSJ, "‘Gibraltar’ Review: When the Rock Was a Hard Place," 3 Apr. 2018
The state of Chiapas, located along the narrow isthmus in North America’s topographic waistline, acts like a funnel through which nearly all migrants must pass.

— lauren markham, The New Republic, "How efforts to block refugees and asylum-seekers from Europe have only made the global migration crisis more complex and harrowing," 26 Feb. 2018
Today, while there is evidence of some animals still slowly advancing South for the first time, the isthmus is a singular location to see and study annual migrations of millions of birds, mammals and reptiles.

— roger catlin, Smithsonian, "New Documentary Delights With Spectacular Visuals of the Panama Isthmus, A Migratory Superhighway," 12 Dec. 2017
Before the opening of the locks, the isthmus handled a weekly average volume of 53,000 containers, according to marine data provider PR News Service, which is closely followed by the industry.

— costas paris, WSJ, "The Panama Canal’s Big Bet Is Paying Off," 8 Oct. 2017
Private scuba diving along the isthmus is said to be incredible, as hundreds of shipwrecks lie scattered around its treacherous shores.

— karen burshtein, Vogue, "How to Spend the Weekend in France Without Leaving North America," 2 Oct. 2017
The island’s isthmus—the horizontal stroke of that lowercase r—seems to be submerged.

— ed yong, The Atlantic, "Rescuing Puerto Rico's Monkey Island," 26 Sep. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'isthmus.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of isthmus

Latin, from Greek isthmos

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1555

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

Other Geology Terms

anthracite, boulder, cwm, erratic, igneous, intrusive, mesa, sedimentary, silt, swale

ISTHMUS Defined for English Language Learners

isthmus

noun

Definition of isthmus for English Language Learners

: a narrow area of land that connects two larger land areas

ISTHMUS Defined for Kids

isthmus

noun isth·mus \ ˈi-sməs \

Definition of isthmus for Students

: a narrow strip of land separating two bodies of water and connecting two larger areas of land

Medical Dictionary

isthmus

noun isth·mus \ ˈis-məs \

medical Definition of isthmus

: 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

Learn More about isthmus

See words that rhyme with isthmus Spanish Central: Translation of isthmus Nglish: Translation of isthmus for Spanish speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about isthmus

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isthmus

Definition of isthmus

Recent Examples of isthmus from the Web

Origin and Etymology of isthmus

Other Geology Terms

ISTHMUS Defined for English Language Learners

isthmus

Definition of isthmus for English Language Learners

ISTHMUS Defined for Kids

isthmus

Definition of isthmus for Students

Medical Dictionary

isthmus

medical Definition of isthmus

Learn More about isthmus

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isthmus

Definition of isthmus

Recent Examples of isthmus from the Web

Origin and Etymology of isthmus

Other Geology Terms

ISTHMUS Defined for English Language Learners

isthmus

Definition of isthmus for English Language Learners

ISTHMUS Defined for Kids

isthmus

Definition of isthmus for Students

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medical Definition of isthmus

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