isthmus

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noun isth·mus \ ˈi-sməs \

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

Congress approved a land exchange for the project in 2009, but then-Interior Secretary Sally Jewell rejected the plan in 2013, saying a road over a narrow isthmus in the refuge could cause irrevocable damage to birds and other wildlife.

— Washington Post, "House backs road in remote Alaska wildlife refuge," 20 July 2017
On Dec. 20, 1989, Operation Just Cause was launched, with more than 26,000 U.S. troops deployed to the tiny isthmus nation.

— tracy wilkinson, latimes.com, "Manuel Noriega, ousted Panamanian military dictator, dies at 83," 29 May 2017
It’s connected to Ukraine by a narrow isthmus to the north but is separated from Russia by a stretch of water called the Kerch Strait.

— joshua yaffa, The New Yorker, "Putin’s Shadow Cabinet and the Bridge to Crimea," 29 May 2017
Spain’s Acciona SA, which encountered similar problems at its installations nearby, said the leaks are a consequence of the same extreme weather that attracted the industry to the isthmus.

— adam williams, Bloomberg.com, "Even Clean Energy Has Its Little Oil Spills," 12 May 2017
Similar problems have been reported all along the Tehuantepec isthmus, one of the western hemisphere’s windiest places.

— adam williams, Bloomberg.com, "Even Clean Energy Has Its Little Oil Spills," 12 May 2017
The tiny rock measuring 2.25 square miles, with a population of 30,000, is a British overseas territory located on the Iberian Peninsula, connected to the European mainland by an isthmus near the Spanish city of Cádiz.

— james montague, New York Times, "Gibraltar Moves Toward UEFA Membership as Spain Resists MAY 22, 2013," 2 May 2016
Overhead slowly sail the magnificent clouds of southern Florida, some of the grandest clouds in the world, making fanciful isthmuses and archipelagoes in an celestial ocean of blue.

— by michael browning, miamiherald, "A desolated landscape: the toll of Hurricane Andrew," 25 Aug. 2015
Around three million years ago, the isthmus of Panama formed a solid connection between North and South America.

— brian switek, WIRED, "Terror Birds Ain’t What They Used to Be – A Titanis Take-Down," 12 Feb. 2011

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

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First Known Use: 1555

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Other Geology Terms

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

ISTHMUS Defined for English Language Learners

isthmus

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noun

Definition of isthmus for English Language Learners

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

ISTHMUS Defined for Kids

isthmus

play

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

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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

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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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Definition of isthmus for English Language Learners

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Definition of isthmus for Students

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