Gulf | Define Gulf at Dictionary.com
gulf
a portion of an ocean or sea partly enclosed by land.
2.
a deep hollow; chasm or abyss.
3.
any wide separation, as in position, status, or education.
4.
something that engulfs or swallows up.
verb (used with object)
1300-1350
1300-50; Middle English go(u)lf < Old French golfe < Italian golfo < Late Greek kólphos, Greek kólpos bosom, lap, bay
Related forms
2. canyon, gorge, gully, cleft, rift, split.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Examples from the Web for gulf
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Contemporary Examples
Much of this season seemed to be moving towards repairing the gulf between Alicia and Kalinda.
Historical Examples
He had ascertained, beyond all question, that it emptied its flood into the gulf of Mexico.
Four Young Explorers Oliver Optic
One of the most inclement winters in the gulf of Mexico had passed in the comfortless manner described in the last chapter.
British Dictionary definitions for gulf
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something that divides or separates, such as a lack of understanding
4.
something that engulfs, such as a whirlpool
verb
(transitive) to swallow up; engulf
Derived Forms
C14: from Old French golfe, from Italian golfo, from Greek kolpos
Gulf
(modifier) of, relating to, or adjoining the Gulf: Gulf country
3.
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for gulf
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n.
late 14c., "profound depth;" geographic sense is c.1400; from Old French golf "a gulf, whirlpool," from Italian golfo "a gulf, a bay," from Late Latin colfos, from Greek kolpos "bay, gulf," earlier "trough between waves, fold of a garment," originally "bosom," the common notion being "curved shape," from PIE *kwelp- "to arch, to vault" (cf. Old English hwealf, a-hwielfan "to overwhelm"). Latin sinus underwent the same development, being used first for "bosom," later for "gulf." Replaced Old English sæ-earm. Figurative sense of "a wide interval" is from 1550s. The Gulf Stream (1775) takes its name from the Gulf of Mexico.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper