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Glite Dictionary
St. Lawrence Seaway

St. Lawrence Seaway

4.9
A system of locks and canals that lets ocean ships reach the Great Lakes from the Atlantic Ocean
  • proper noun
  • /seɪˈweɪ/
translation icon : Vía Marítima del San Lorenzo
  • Nearly 30% of the exotic species of the Great Lakes have been discovered since 1959, a surge that has coincided with the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway.
  • St. Lawrence Seaway opened
  • St. Lawrence Seaway in 1959

Examples

  • Between 1930 and 1990, 74 species were introduced, of which more than one-half became established subsequent to the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway in 1959 (Figure 2).

    Academic text (1994)

  • After their long sojourn down what we now call the St. Lawrence Seaway and across the Great Lakes, they arrived at this place in Lake Superior, Gitchi Goomi, a promised land.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • To the west of Toronto is the 401 highway to Ottawa, and on the way, the Thousand Islands begin near the historic town of Kingston, where Lake Ontario meets the St. Lawrence Seaway.

    Academic text (1999)

  • Eight states and one province claim Great Lakes shoreline, and major port cities such as Chicago and Toronto use the Great Lakes as part of a national and international trade route—the St. Lawrence Seaway (Figure 1).

    Academic text (1994)

  • When the St. Lawrence Seaway opened in 1959 (Ashworth 1986), transoceanic trade between Great Lakes ports, such as Chicago, Toronto, and Duluth, and ports from around the world intensified (Figure 1).

    Academic text (1994)

  • The St. Lawrence Seaway enables large ships to travel from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes.

  • Many shipping companies rely on the St. Lawrence Seaway to transport goods into the heart of North America.

  • Since its opening, the St. Lawrence Seaway has significantly boosted trade between Canada and the United States.

Synonyms

Saint Lawrence Seaway
vsSt. Lawrence Seaway
5.1

A system of locks and canals that lets ships travel from the Atlantic to the Great Lakes

is the abbreviated written form of the same name
shipway
vsSt. Lawrence Seaway
  • Specialized
8.3

A canal wide and deep enough for ships to pass through

is a specific binational lock and canal system rather than any canal

Surface Forms

St. Lawrence Seaway main

Morphology

St. + Lawrence + seaway

The compound is a straightforward place-name + noun composition: 'seaway' clearly denotes a navigable maritime route and 'St. Lawrence' is a geographic name, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will understand it refers to the seaway associated with St. Lawrence. Detailed specifics (locks, Great Lakes connection) require background/world knowledge, but the core meaning is directly derivable from the parts.

Etymology

St. Lawrence Seaway comes from the man-made water route on the Saint Lawrence River that uses locks like water elevators to lift ships between the Great Lakes and the Atlantic, so ocean ships can reach cities far inland.