Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
Great Australian Bight

Great Australian Bight

7.2
A large open bay on Australia's southern coast known for rough seas and high cliffs
  • proper noun
translation icon : Gran Bahía Australiana
  • Many sailors avoid the Great Australian Bight due to its storms.

Examples

  • The coastline of the Great Australian Bight is famous for its dramatic cliffs and marine life.

  • Whale watching is a popular activity along the Great Australian Bight during the migration season.

  • Sailors often avoid the Great Australian Bight due to its unpredictable and violent storms.

  • The Great Australian Bight is famous for its dramatic cliffs.

  • Sailors often avoid the Great Australian Bight due to its unpredictable and violent storms.

  • Whale watching is a popular activity along the Great Australian Bight during the migration season.

  • The coastline of the Great Australian Bight is famous for its dramatic cliffs and marine life.

Synonyms

bight
vsGreat Australian Bight
  • Specialized
9.9

A wide curve in a coast or river forming a large bay

is a named bay along a southern ocean coast known for rough seas and storms

Surface Forms

Great Australian Bight main

Morphology

great + Australian + bight

The place-name is fully descriptive: 'great' (large) + 'Australian' (of Australia) + 'bight' (a broad curve of coast/bay) directly yield the meaning 'a large bay on the Australian coast'. As a compositional toponym following common cross-linguistic patterns, a B1 learner who knows the constituent words would be able to understand this MWE.

Etymology

The place name Great Australian Bight comes from the old sea word bight, which meant a wide 'bend' or 'bay' in the coast. So the name gives the picture of a very large, open bay off southern Australia and explains why sailors know it for rough seas and storms.