Gibraltar

[ ji-brawl-ter ]

noun

1. a British crown colony comprising a fortress and seaport located on a narrow promontory near the southern tip of Spain. 1.875 sq. mi. (5 sq. km).
2. Rock of Gibraltar.
   1. Ancient Calpe [kal, -pee]. a long, precipitous mountain nearly coextensive with this colony: one of the Pillars of Hercules. 1,396 feet (426 meters) high; 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) long.
   2. any person or thing that has strength and endurance that can be relied on.
3. Strait of Gibraltar, a strait between Europe and Africa at the Atlantic entrance to the Mediterranean Sea. 8.5–23 miles (14–37 kilometers) wide.
4. any impregnable fortress or stronghold.

Gibraltar

/ dʒɪˈbrɔːltə /

noun

1. City of Gibraltar
   a city on the Rock of Gibraltar, a limestone promontory at the tip of S Spain: settled by Moors in 711 and taken by Spain in 1462; ceded to Britain in 1713; a British crown colony (1830–1969), still politically associated with Britain; a naval and air base of strategic importance. Pop: 29 111 (2013 est). Area: 6.5 sq km (2.5 sq miles) Ancient nameCalpe
2. Strait of Gibraltar
   a narrow strait between the S tip of Spain and the NW tip of Africa, linking the Mediterranean with the Atlantic

Gibraltar

1. A colony of Britain on the southern coast of Spain .

Notes

Its seeming impregnability as a fortress during several wars led to the saying: “solid as the Rock of Gibraltar.”

Spain has protested British control of Gibraltar, but the dispute has remained unsettled for years.

Location of an important military base; strategically significant because it can be used to keep ships from entering or leaving the Mediterranean Sea .

Located on the Rock of Gibraltar, a huge limestone mass.

Other Words From

• Gi·bral·tar·i·an [ji-brawl-, tair, -ee-, uh, n, jib-rawl-], adjective noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of Gibraltar¹

First recorded in 1570–80; from Arabic jabal ṭāriq “Mountain of Tariq,” named after Tariq ibn Ziyad, who led the Omayyad conquest of Spain beginning in 711

Example Sentences

Walk to Gibraltar across the border at La Línea in Spain (74 miles east of Malaga).

From The Daily Beast

“This is much more than a traffic jam at the border,” Dominique Searle, editor of the Gibraltar Chronicle told The Daily Beast.

From The Daily Beast

“Hell will freeze over before Gibraltar removes the concrete,” Picardo insisted.

From The Daily Beast

In recent years, a slew of online gambling companies have relocated from the United Kingdom to Gibraltar to enjoy the lower taxes.

From The Daily Beast

Home to 30,000 British citizens, Gibraltar would be a way to hit the United Kingdom via the back door.

From The Daily Beast

England proclaimed a rough indignation at the demand for Gibraltar, which Austria had made in behalf of Spain.

From Project Gutenberg

But on the other hand, Magazines are forming, troops marching, in a style which threatens Gibraltar.

From Project Gutenberg

The tobacco smuggling from Gibraltar keeps alive a lawless class which sinks easily into pure brigandage.

From Project Gutenberg

Just now, Grandfather's keyster is the Rock of Gibraltar, the financial prop that is sustaining the whole structure.

From Project Gutenberg

But such, in brief, is the deep mystery of Gibraltar, such is the Toxicological department of universal Freemasonry.

From Project Gutenberg