Cook Strait

proper noun

A strait that separates the North and South Islands of New Zealand, extending northwest to southeast from the Tasman Sea to the south Pacific Ocean.

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Meanings

proper noun
  1. A strait that separates the North and South Islands of New Zealand, extending northwest to southeast from the Tasman Sea to the south Pacific Ocean.

Origin

Named after James Cook, the first European commander to sail through it, in 1770.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Finnish Cookinsalmi
  • Cookinsalmistrait separates the North and South Islands of New Zealand
Cite this entry
APA

Cook Strait. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Cook%20Strait

MLA

“Cook Strait.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Cook%20Strait. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Cook Strait,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Cook%20Strait.

Source: Cook Strait on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.