Gibraltar

[ji-brawl-ter]

noun

1. a British crown colony comprising a fortress and seaport located on a narrow promontory near the southern tip of Spain. 1.875 sq. mi. (5 sq. km).

2. Rock of Gibraltar.

   1. Ancient Calpe. a long, precipitous mountain nearly coextensive with this colony: one of the Pillars of Hercules. 1,396 feet (426 meters) high; 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) long.

   2. any person or thing that has strength and endurance that can be relied on.

3. Strait of Gibraltar, a strait between Europe and Africa at the Atlantic entrance to the Mediterranean Sea. 8.5–23 miles (14–37 kilometers) wide.

4. any impregnable fortress or stronghold.

Gibraltar

/ dʒɪˈbrɔːltə /

noun

1. Ancient name: Calpe. a city on the Rock of Gibraltar, a limestone promontory at the tip of S Spain: settled by Moors in 711 and taken by Spain in 1462; ceded to Britain in 1713; a British crown colony (1830–1969), still politically associated with Britain; a naval and air base of strategic importance. Pop: 29 111 (2013 est). Area: 6.5 sq km (2.5 sq miles)

2. a narrow strait between the S tip of Spain and the NW tip of Africa, linking the Mediterranean with the Atlantic

Gibraltar

1. A colony of Britain on the southern coast of Spain.

Its seeming impregnability as a fortress during several wars led to the saying: “solid as the Rock of Gibraltar.”

Spain has protested British control of Gibraltar, but the dispute has remained unsettled for years.

Location of an important military base; strategically significant because it can be used to keep ships from entering or leaving the Mediterranean Sea.

Located on the Rock of Gibraltar, a huge limestone mass.

Other Word Forms

• Gibraltarian adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of Gibraltar¹

First recorded in 1570–80; from Arabic jabal ṭāriq “Mountain of Tariq,” named after Tariq ibn Ziyad, who led the Omayyad conquest of Spain beginning in 711

Example Sentences

As a teenager she worked as an au pair in India, and later lived in Hong Kong and Gibraltar with her husband Norman, a lieutenant colonel in the army.

From BBC

Passengers have since disembarked from both planes which had been due to take off for Paris and Gibraltar respectively.

From BBC

But Lammy insisted Gibraltar would not be joining the Schengen free travel area - 26 European states that have abolished passport control at their mutual border so people can travel freely.

From BBC

The UK has a agreed a deal with the European Union over Gibraltar's status after Brexit.

From BBC

But a separate Gibraltar deal could reportedly make the territory an associate member of the Schengen zone, allowing people to cross freely and see physical border infrastructure removed.

From BBC