Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
- A region of the Middle East arching across the northern part of the Syrian Desert and extending from the Nile Valley to the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The civilizations of Egypt, Phoenicia, Assyria, and Babylonia developed in this area, which was also the site of numerous migrations and invasions.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
- proper n. A crescent-shaped strip of fertile land stretching from present-day Iraq through eastern Turkey and down the Syrian and Israeli coasts.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- n. a geographical area of fertile land in the Middle East stretching in a broad semicircle from the Nile to the Tigris and Euphrates
Etymologies
Coined by University of Chicago archaeologist James Henry Breasted. (Wiktionary)
Examples
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Alexander instead followed patriarchs and kings throughout history by taking an arching route along the Fertile Crescent north beneath the mountains of Lebanon, then east across the highlands of Assyria, and finally south along the Tigris and Euphrates to Babylon.
Comments
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