Mediterranean Sea
8
2.3
- proper noun
- /ˌmɛdɪtəˈreɪniən si/
:
mar Mediterráneo
- Corallium rubrum lives only in the Mediterranean Sea and along neighboring Atlantic shores.
- Mediterranean Sea Ports
- coast of the Mediterranean Sea
They closed off the Mediterranean Sea, and that actually turned out, you know, OK for them.
- They closed off the Mediterranean Sea, and that actually turned out, you know, OK for them.
Examples
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Meanwhile, more than a dozen ships have been patrolling the Mediterranean Sea and enforcing the UN arms embargo.
Academic text (2011) -
About 90 percent of Israel's foreign trade is carried out via the Mediterranean Sea, making freedom of navigation in this area critical for the Jewish state's economic well-being.
Academic text (2014) -
There was some traffic between countries on both sides of the Mediterranean Sea.
Academic text (1990) -
For those just joining us, our top story continues... thousands of miles away in the Mediterranean Sea.
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In ancient times, it was the Mediterranean Sea that provided the sea lanes for world commerce.
Academic text (1990) -
The conference was at a 5-star hotel on the edge of the Mediterranean Sea.
Blog text (10) -
Moreover, Morocco offered access to both the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.
Academic text (2005) -
The Suez enables ships to go from the Mediterranean Sea to the Indian Ocean without the need to sail around Africa.
Academic text (2008) -
Caesarea is located along the Mediterranean Sea between Haifa and Tel Aviv.
Academic text (2005) -
The Suez Canal connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea, facilitating maritime trade.
Synonyms
73
2.8
A sea between southern Europe, northern Africa, and western Asia
The Mediterranean Sea the ancient Romans called theirs
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is a straightforward composition of 'Mediterranean' (referring to the Mediterranean region/sea) and 'sea' (a large body of saltwater), so its referent — the sea between Europe, Africa and Asia — is directly derivable from the constituents. This place-name pattern is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both words would readily understand the meaning.
Etymology
Mediterranean Sea comes from the Latin roots medius and terra, which mean 'middle' and 'land', because the sea lies almost surrounded by Europe, Africa and Asia, so people thought of it as a 'sea in the middle of land'.