Gibraltar

[ji-brawl-ter] /dʒɪˈbrɔl tər/
noun
1.
a British crown colony comprising a fortress and seaport located on a narrow promontory near the S tip of Spain. 1.875 sq. mi. (5 sq. km).
2.
Rock of.
  1. Ancient Calpe. a long, precipitous mountain nearly coextensive with this colony: one of the Pillars of Hercules. 1,396 feet (426 meters) high; 2.5 miles (4 km) long.
  2. any person or thing that has strength and endurance that can be relied on.
3.
Strait of, a strait between Europe and Africa at the Atlantic entrance to the Mediterranean. 8.5–23 miles (14–37 km) wide.
4.
any impregnable fortress or stronghold.
Related forms
Gibraltarian
[ji-brawl-tair-ee-uh n, jib-rawl-] /dʒɪ brɔlˈtɛər i ən, ˌdʒɪb rɔl-/ (Show IPA), adjective, noun
British Dictionary definitions for Gibraltar

Gibraltar

/dʒɪˈbrɔːltə/
noun
1.
City of Gibraltar, a city on the Rock of Gibraltar, a limestone promontory at the tip of S Spain: settled by Moors in 711 and taken by Spain in 1462; ceded to Britain in 1713; a British crown colony (1830–1969), still politically associated with Britain; a naval and air base of strategic importance. Pop: 29 111 (2013 est). Area: 6.5 sq km (2.5 sq miles) Ancient name Calpe
2.
Strait of Gibraltar, a narrow strait between the S tip of Spain and the NW tip of Africa, linking the Mediterranean with the Atlantic
Word Origin and History for Gibraltar

1590s, ancient Calpe, captured 710 C.E. by Saracen leader Tariq, renamed Jebel el Tarik "the Mountain of Tarik," hence the English name. A British possession since 1704. Figurative of impregnability by 1856.

Gibraltar in Culture
Gibraltar [(juh-brawl-tuhr)]

A colony of Britain on the southern coast of Spain.

Note: Located on the Rock of Gibraltar, a huge limestone mass.
Note: Spain has protested British control of Gibraltar, but the dispute has remained unsettled for years.
Note: Location of an important military base; strategically significant because it can be used to keep ships from entering or leaving the Mediterranean Sea.
Note: Its seeming impregnability as a fortress during several wars led to the saying: “solid as the Rock of Gibraltar.”