the Maritimes
1
5.5
- proper noun
:
los Marítimos
- The culture in the Maritimes is heavily influenced by both French and British traditions.
Examples
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The only area in which the shape of oysters has actually been measured when selling is in the Maritimes, where oysters have been sold in three main categories.
Academic text (1996) -
I refer to Ontario and the Maritimes from whence the rest of the country was settled.
Blog text (32) -
I understand about French Canadians or others who immigrated or migrated to Ontario and the Maritimes.
Blog text (32) -
They worked within the Micmac hierarchy and sought to tighten it in order to gain easier access and increase their influence in the Maritimes.
Academic text (2002) -
In asking to be considered as a separate region coequal with Quebec, Ontario, the Maritimes, and the Prairie Provinces, among other ways, British Columbia is indicating that it already thinks of itself as different, powerful, and potentially autonomous.
Academic text (1996) -
Micmacs and Colonists: Indian-White Relations in the Maritimes, 1713-186Z Upton. (G. F. G. Stanley) 5(3):267.
Academic text (1992) -
The Maritimes include the provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island.
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Many tourists love to explore the natural beauty of the Maritimes during the summer months.
Synonyms
1
6.4
A region of eastern Canada made up of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island
1
5.5
A group of Canadian provinces that includes New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island
A group of three Canadian provinces on the Atlantic coast including New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island
Surface Forms
Morphology
the + Maritimes
This expression is simply the definite article plus a place-name; its meaning is referential (the three eastern Canadian provinces) rather than idiomatic. A B1 learner who knows the proper noun 'Maritimes' — or can derive from 'maritime' that it refers to a coastal region — will readily understand the phrase, so there is no opaque or unpredictable semantic shift.
Etymology
The Maritimes comes from the word maritime, which means 'by the sea'. Because New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island are all coastal provinces with fishing, boats and many islands, the name gives a simple picture of those places and is used to talk about them together.