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