Strait vs. Canal — What's the Difference?

A strait is a naturally formed, narrow, typically navigable waterway that connects two larger bodies of water. Most commonly it is a channel of water that lies between two land masses.

Canals are waterway channels, or artificial waterways, for water conveyance, or for servicing water transport vehicles. They carry free surface flow under atmospheric pressure, and can be thought of as artificial rivers.

A narrow channel joining two larger bodies of water

An artificial waterway constructed to allow the passage of boats or ships inland or to convey water for irrigation

A position of difficulty, perplexity, distress, or need

A tubular duct in a plant or animal, serving to convey or contain food, liquid, or air

Difficult; stressful.

Any of a number of linear markings formerly reported as seen by telescope on the planet Mars.

Having or marked by limited funds or resources.

An artificial waterway or artificially improved river used for travel, shipping, or irrigation.

Narrow or confined.

(Anatomy) A tube, duct, or passageway.

Fitting tightly; constricted.

(Astronomy) One of the faint, hazy markings resembling straight lines on early telescopic images of the surface of Mars.

Strict, rigid, or righteous.

To dig an artificial waterway through

(archaic) Narrow; restricted as to space or room; close.

To provide with an artificial waterway or waterways.

(archaic) Righteous, strict.

An artificial waterway or artificially improved river used for travel, shipping, or irrigation.

(obsolete) Tight; close; tight-fitting.

(anatomy) A tubular channel within the body.

(obsolete) Close; intimate; near; familiar.

(astronomy) One of the faint, hazy markings resembling straight lines on early telescopic images of the surface of Mars; see Martian canals

(obsolete) Difficult; distressful.

To dig an artificial waterway in or to (a place), especially for drainage

(obsolete) Parsimonious; stingy; mean.

To travel along a canal by boat

(geography) A narrow channel of water connecting two larger bodies of water.

An artificial channel filled with water and designed for navigation, or for irrigating land, etc.

A narrow pass, passage or street.

A tube or duct; as, the alimentary canal; the semicircular canals of the ear.

A neck of land; an isthmus.

A long and relatively narrow arm of the sea, approximately uniform in width; - used chiefly in proper names; as, Portland Canal; Lynn Canal.

A difficult position.

(astronomy) an indistinct surface feature of Mars once thought to be a system of channels; they are now believed to be an optical illusion

To confine; put to difficulties.

A bodily passage or tube lined with epithelial cells and conveying a secretion or other substance;

To tighten.

Long and narrow strip of water made for boats or for irrigation

(obsolete) Strictly; rigorously.

Provide (a city) with a canal

A variant of Straight.

Narrow; not broad.

Tight; close; closely fitting.

Close; intimate; near; familiar.

Strict; scrupulous; rigorous.

Difficult; distressful; straited.

Parsimonious; niggargly; mean.

Strictly; rigorously.

A narrow pass or passage.

A (comparatively) narrow passageway connecting two large bodies of water; - often in the plural; as, the strait, or straits, of Gibraltar; the straits of Magellan; the strait, or straits, of Mackinaw.

A neck of land; an isthmus.

Fig.: A condition of narrowness or restriction; doubt; distress; difficulty; poverty; perplexity; - sometimes in the plural; as, reduced to great straits.

To put to difficulties.

A narrow channel of the sea joining two larger bodies of water

A bad or difficult situation or state of affairs

Strict and severe;