Narrow passages of water connecting two larger bodies of water; difficult or challenging circumstances (usually 'dire straits'). Plural of 'strait.'
From Latin 'strictus' meaning 'drawn tight' or 'narrow,' via Old French 'estreit.' Geographic sense developed in medieval times for narrow waterways. Figurative sense of 'difficulties' emerged by 1500s from the idea of being pressed into a tight space.
The word perfectly captures how geographic and metaphorical challenges mirror each other - just as ships must carefully navigate narrow waters between larger seas, people in 'dire straits' must find their way through tight circumstances to reach safety. The Strait of Gibraltar and financial straits share the same linguistic DNA.
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