Definition

Proper noun A historical sea route through the Arctic Ocean, along the northern coast of North America, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. For centuries, European explorers sought this passage as a potentially shorter trade route to Asia.

Usage

The term "northwest passage" is used to refer to the specific Arctic sea route and the historical quest to discover it. * Early explorers believed the northwest passage would provide a faster way to reach the spice markets of Asia. * The successful navigation of the northwest passage by Roald Amundsen was a major milestone in exploration. * Climate change has made the northwest passage more accessible to modern shipping in recent summers.

Advanced Usage

• "to search for the northwest passage": This phrase describes the centuries-long effort by explorers to find this route.
  • Many expeditions set out to search for the northwest passage, often meeting with disaster.
• "to traverse the northwest passage": This phrase refers to the act of successfully sailing through the entire route.
  • Only a specially reinforced ship can safely traverse the northwest passage.

Variants and Related Words

• Northeast Passage (proper noun): The sea route along the northern coast of Europe and Asia, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. It is the Arctic counterpart to the northwest passage.
• Arctic shipping route (noun phrase): A modern, general term for navigable paths through the Arctic Ocean, which now include the northwest passage.

Synonyms

• Arctic sea route: A more general modern term.
• The Passage: Used in historical contexts when the specific northwest passage is clearly implied.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• Holy Grail of exploration: This idiom is often applied to the northwest passage, emphasizing its long-sought, elusive, and almost mythical status for explorers.
  • For centuries, the northwest passage was the Holy Grail of exploration.

Noun

1. a water route between the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean along the northern coast of North America; Europeans since the 16th century had searched for a short route to the Far East before it was successfully traversed by Roald Amundsen (1903-1906)