Meaning & use

isthmus

noun·Academic

A narrow strip of land that connects two larger landmasses and has water on both sides.

See it in a sentence

The Isthmus of Panama connects North and South America and separates two oceans.

Traders once crossed the narrow isthmus on foot to avoid a long sea voyage.

A note on using this word

Often confused with 'peninsula'; an isthmus specifically links two larger bodies of land together.

Words with a similar meaning

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