Inlet

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈɪnlət/

Definitions

1. A narrow body of water leading inward from a larger body, often creating a small bay or recess ; an indentation in the shoreline allowing water passage or access
2. A slender waterway extending from a sea or lake into the land, typically smaller than a bay ; a coastal recess or small arm of the sea or river
3. A narrow opening or channel in a coast or riverbank through which water flows into an inland area ; a small bay or cove formed by such an indentation

Etymology: The word is a plain compound: "in" plus "let," the verb meaning "to allow to pass." Middle English had "inleten," "to let in," and from it came "inlāte," meaning an entrance or a place where something is admitted. The sense of a narrow arm of water reaching into land developed from that idea of a passage through which water is admitted, so a bay-like channel is literally a place that lets the sea in. The same pattern appears across the Germanic languages. Dutch "inlaten" and German "einlassen" both mean "to let in" or "to admit," and German "Einlass" carries the sense of an entrance, much like the English noun's older meaning. English "inlet" is therefore a native formation, built from familiar parts rather than borrowed from another language.

Synonyms: entrance, opening

Antonyms: outlet