gibraltar
/d͡ʒɪˈbɹɔːltə(ɹ)/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.35 in modern English
12
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
3
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
name
A peninsula, city, and overseas territory of the United Kingdom, at the southern end of Iberia.
name
A strait connecting the Mediterranean to the Atlantic between Gibraltar and Morocco; in full, Strait of Gibraltar.
name
A place in the United States:
name
A place in the United States:
Example Sentences
- "Nothing beats a gunboat. HMS Illustrious glided out of Portsmouth on Monday, past HMS Victory and cheering crowds of patriots. Within a week it will be off Gibraltar, a mere cannon shot from Cape Trafalgar. […] The Spaniards offered Gibraltar fully devolved status, like the Basques and Catalans, respecting language, culture and a degree of fiscal autonomy."
- "Two Gibraltars (decaf) at Kafka"
- "At a recent meeting at Mint Plaza’s Blue Bottle Coffee, Maggiotto ordered a Gibraltar, a small, milky espresso drink."
- "I paid for my beans and sipped my perfectly-made Gibraltar as I walked down the street thinking about how I would now always order from his pizza company."
Etymology
From Spanish Gibraltar, from Arabic جَبَل طَارِق (jabal ṭāriq, “Mount Tariq”), named after Tariq ibn Ziyad, who led the Umayyad conquest of Hispania, starting in 711. Replaced earlier Latin Mons Calpe (“Mount Calpe”) for the land, and Columnae Herculis, from Ancient Greek Ἡράκλειαι στῆλαι (Hērákleiai stêlai, “Pillars of Hercules”), for the strait. The barangay in Baguio, Philippines is named by a German national "Jonathan Speth" after the Rock of Gibraltar in Europe. He lived and died in the barangay.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: Gibraltar, جَبَل طَارِق, ج ب ل