Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
Persian Gulf

Persian Gulf

29 3.4
A shallow sea between Iran and the countries of the Arabian Peninsula
  • proper noun
translation icon : Golfo Pérsico
  • The remaining units of the United States Tenth Airborne Division, which parachuted into western Iran yesterday, have taken up defensive positions near Isfahan, designed, according to the spokesman, to block any possible move towards the oilfields in the Persian Gulf.
  • Persian Gulf War
  • Persian Gulf region
  • Persian Gulf crisis

Examples

  • This land was next to the Persian Gulf and sat almost on the western frontier of Angshi, the Parthian Empire.

  • Above all, it was the belief that the military buildup in the Persian Gulf was driving the United States' policy.

    Academic text (2003)

  • Even the capital surplus countries of the Persian Gulf are in the red.

    Academic text (1999)

  • In the Persian Gulf, I could get away with it, but not here in Jerusalem.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • I'm shipping out to the Persian Gulf Sunday night.

    An American Carol (2008)

  • The recent American military intervention in the Persian Gulf is the continuation of this practice.

    Academic text (1992)

  • The wind blew in off the Persian Gulf, and the night sky was filled with thick clouds.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • About 40% of the world's oil passes through the Persian Gulf, and at the mouth lies Gawadar.

    Blog text (8)

  • The order retroactively affected a major oil contract that Iran had awarded to Conoco to develop Persian Gulf oil resources.

    Academic text (2001)

  • American B-52 bombers and an aircraft carrier group have deployed to the Persian Gulf in recent days.

Synonyms

Arabian Gulf
vsPersian Gulf
4.2

A shallow sea between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula with many oil fields

has identical meaning but is used as a different regional name

Surface Forms

Persian Gulf main

Morphology

Persian + gulf

The meaning is directly derivable from the parts: 'Persian' (from Persia/Iran) + 'gulf' (a sea inlet) yields a sea inlet associated with Persia/Iran. This place-name is compositional and follows common cross-linguistic patterns for geographic names, so a B1 learner who knows both words would readily infer the intended referent.

Etymology

Persian Gulf comes from the land next to it: Persian means the people of old Persia (now Iran) and Gulf means a part of the sea that goes into the land. So Persian Gulf simply means 'the sea area by Persia', which is why the name refers to the shallow sea between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.