Word
kyle
Phoneticskyle
US/ˈkaɪɫ/
UK/kˈaɪl/
Definition
n. a narrow stretch of sea water between an island and the coast, or between two islands.
n. a narrow channel, strait, or arm of the sea, specifically between an island and the mainland or between two islands. This term is characteristic of Scottish geography.
Examples
“He’s acting like a total Kyle after losing that video game.”
“The internet is full of memes about a 'Kyle' punching a hole in the drywall because he ran out of soda.”
Examples
simple
“He’s acting like a total Kyle after losing that video game.”
contextual
“The internet is full of memes about a 'Kyle' punching a hole in the drywall because he ran out of soda.”
Usage
Commonly found in Scottish place names like Kyle of Lochalsh.
Teaching tip
This sense is highly regional to Scotland; outside of a Scottish context, learners will almost exclusively encounter 'Kyle' as a personal name.
Etymology
From several places in Scotland and Northern Ireland, derived from Gaelic caol (“narrows”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.