Meaning & use

Hellespont

proper noun·Advanced

The ancient name for the Dardanelles, a narrow strait in northwestern Turkey linking the Aegean Sea and the Sea of Marmara.

See it in a sentence

According to Greek legend, Leander swam across the Hellespont every night to see Hero.

Xerxes had his engineers build a bridge of ships across the Hellespont to invade Greece.

A note on using this word

Hellespont is the historical and literary name still used in poetry and classical references; Dardanelles is the modern geographic name.

Words with a similar meaning

dardanelles

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