Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A recess, such as a bay or cove, along a coast.
  • noun A stream or bay leading inland, as from the ocean; an estuary.
  • noun A narrow passage of water, as between two islands.
  • noun A drainage passage, as to a culvert.
  • noun An opening providing a means of entrance or intake.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To let in; admit.
  • To insert; inlay.
  • noun A passage or opening by which an inclosed place may be entered; place of ingress; entrance.
  • noun A waterway leading into a sea or lake, and forming part of it; a strip of water running from a larger body into the land; a creek; a channel.
  • noun Inserted material.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A passage by which an inclosed place may be entered; a place of ingress; entrance
  • noun A bay or recess, as in the shore of a sea, lake, or large river; a narrow strip of water running into the land or between islands.
  • noun That which is let in or inlaid; an inserted material.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb transitive To let in; admit.
  • verb transitive To insert; inlay.
  • noun A body of water let into a coast, such as a bay, cove, fjord or estuary.
  • noun A passage that leads into a cavity.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun an arm off of a larger body of water (often between rocky headlands)
  • noun an opening through which fluid is admitted to a tube or container

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[in + let.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English inleten, equivalent to in- +‎ let. Cognate with Dutch inlaten ("to let in, admit"), Low German inlaten ("to let in"), German einlassen ("to admit, let in"), Swedish inlåta ("to enter, engage").

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English inlāte ("inlet, entrance"), from inleten ("to let in"), equivalent to in- +‎ let. Compare Low German inlat ("inlet"), German Einlass ("inlet, entrance").

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word inlet.

Examples

  • A Gentleman refers to Cordelia in eremite terms: she "redeems inlet from a ubiquitous curse" of sinfulness so dramatically demonstrated in Lear's elder daughters.

    Philadelphia Reflections: Shakspere Society of Philadelphia admin 2009

  • This affinity with inlet is related to a aged man's direct for justice.

    Philadelphia Reflections: Shakspere Society of Philadelphia admin 2009

  • A Gentleman refers to Cordelia in eremite terms: she "redeems inlet from a ubiquitous curse" of sinfulness so dramatically demonstrated in Lear's elder daughters.

    Archive 2009-11-01 admin 2009

  • This affinity with inlet is related to a aged man's direct for justice.

    Archive 2009-11-01 admin 2009

  • I do think the detritus laden water coming out of that inlet is good overall for the gulf, providing much protein for the food chain in the form of Mangrove detritus.

    Are the Gulf coast beaches polluted? 2007

  • I do think the detritus laden water coming out of that inlet is good overall for the gulf, providing much protein for the food chain in the form of Mangrove detritus.

    Are the Gulf coast beaches polluted? 2007

  • I do think the detritus laden water coming out of that inlet is good overall for the gulf, providing much protein for the food chain in the form of Mangrove detritus.

    Are the Gulf coast beaches polluted? 2007

  • I do think the detritus laden water coming out of that inlet is good overall for the gulf, providing much protein for the food chain in the form of Mangrove detritus.

    Are the Gulf coast beaches polluted? 2007

  • I do think the detritus laden water coming out of that inlet is good overall for the gulf, providing much protein for the food chain in the form of Mangrove detritus.

    Are the Gulf coast beaches polluted? 2007

  • I do think the detritus laden water coming out of that inlet is good overall for the gulf, providing much protein for the food chain in the form of Mangrove detritus.

    Are the Gulf coast beaches polluted? 2007

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.