straits

noun

1. (form-of, plural)plural of strait

verb

1. (form-of, indicative, present, singular, third-person)third-person singular simple present indicative of strait

name

1. (abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis, historical)Ellipsis of the Straits Settlements, a former British colony along the Strait of Malacca.

   “It may have been originally in India, as it is now in the Straits, a closed litter for ladies of rank, and the word may have become appropriated to the open conveyance in which European ladies are carried.”

   “Straits-born Chinese”

2. (abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis, informal)Ellipsis of Dire Straits, a British rock band.