RED SEA Definition & Meaning

Red Sea

noun

an arm of the Indian Ocean, extending northwest between Africa and Arabia: connected to the Mediterranean by the Suez Canal. 1,450 miles (2,335 kilometers) long; 170,000 square miles (440,300 square kilometers); greatest depth, 7,254 feet (2,211 meters).

Red Sea

noun

a long narrow sea between Arabia and NE Africa, linked with the Mediterranean in the north by the Suez Canal and with the Indian Ocean in the south: occasionally reddish in appearance through algae. Area: 438 000 sq km (169 000 sq miles)

Red Sea

Narrow sea between Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.

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Notes

According to the Bible (see also Bible ), the Red Sea's waters parted to allow the Israelites , led by Moses , to escape the pursuing Egyptian army. The “Red Sea” of the biblical account, however, seems more likely to have been the marshy Sea of Reeds than the present-day Red Sea.

Probably named for the red algae that are sometimes present in its waters.

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of Red Sea¹

Translation of Latin Mare Rubrum, from Greek ��ٳ��à Thálassa “Red Sea,” a translation of Hebrew Yam Sūph “Sea of Reeds.” The reason for ��ٳ��à (Thálassa) is unknown; perhaps ��ٳ��à refers to seasonal blooms of red algae on the on the surface of the water, or to ancient associations of “red” with “south,” (as “black” with “north,” as in “Black Sea”)

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

The US and UK have been attacking Yemen in response to strikes carried out by the Houthis on shipping in the Red Sea since November 2023.

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Washington has said it is acting to end the threat the Iran-backed Houthis pose to shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

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Washington says its strikes in Yemen are punishment for Houthi attacks on cargo vessels transiting through the Red Sea, a critical waterway for international trade.

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It says the aim of the attack on the Red Sea port of Ras Isa was to restrict supplies and funds for the Iranian-backed movement.

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Last year, the Houthi rebels in Yemen were accused of cutting three cables underneath the Red Sea.

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Red Scare Red Sea, parting of the

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