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Glite Dictionary
Cape Cod Canal

Cape Cod Canal

3.9
A canal in southeast Massachusetts that lets ships cross the base of Cape Cod
  • noun
  • /keɪp kɒd kəˈnæl/
translation icon : Canal de Cabo Cod
  • Tourists often take scenic boat tours to explore the beautiful Cape Cod Canal in the summer.

Examples

  • It winds from the Sagamore Bridge over the Cape Cod Canal and through the towns of Sandwich, Barnstable, Yarmouth Port, Dennis, Brewster, and Orleans.

    Blog text (13)

  • The Cape Cod Canal provides a shortcut for boats traveling between Cape Cod Bay and Buzzards Bay.

  • Many fishermen enjoy casting their lines along the Cape Cod Canal, hoping for a big catch.

Surface Forms

Cape Cod Canal singular
Cape Cod Canals plural

Morphology

cape + Cod + canal

The phrase is a compositional place name: 'cape' (promontory) + 'Cod' (the place name) + 'canal' (engineered water channel), so a learner who knows the words can infer it is a canal associated with Cape Cod. The pattern 'X + canal' is cross-linguistically transparent for indicating a waterway near or belonging to X, making the MWE readily understandable to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Cape Cod Canal comes from the simple picture of a canal built across the narrow part of Cape Cod to link Cape Cod Bay and Buzzards Bay. So it is a water 'shortcut' that ships and visitors use to save time today.