西北航道（位于北美大陆和北极群岛之间）

[ noun ]
a water route between the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean along the northern coast of North America; Europeans since the 16th century had searched for a short route to the Far East before it was successfully traversed by Roald Amundsen (1903-1906)
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Northwest \North`west"\, a.
1. Pertaining to, or in the direction of, the point between
the north and west; being in the northwest; toward the
northwest, or coming from the northwest; as, the northwest
coast.

2. Coming from the northwest; as, a northwest wind.

{Northwest passage}, a passage or communication by sea
between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans along the north
coast of America, long sought for by navigators.


Passage \Pas"sage\, n. [F. passage. See {Pass}, v. i.]
1. The act of passing; transit from one place to another;
movement from point to point; a going by, over, across, or
through; as, the passage of a man or a carriage; the
passage of a ship or a bird; the passage of light; the
passage of fluids through the pores or channels of the
body.

What! are my doors opposed against my passage!
--Shak.

2. Transit by means of conveyance; journey, as by water,
carriage, car, or the like; travel; right, liberty, or
means, of passing; conveyance.

The ship in which he had taken passage. --Macaulay.

3. Price paid for the liberty to pass; fare; as, to pay one's
passage.

4. Removal from life; decease; departure; death. [R.]
``Endure thy mortal passage.'' --Milton.

When he is fit and season'd for his passage. --Shak.

5. Way; road; path; channel or course through or by which one
passes; way of exit or entrance; way of access or transit.
Hence, a common avenue to various apartments in a
building; a hall; a corridor.

And with his pointed dart
Explores the nearest passage to his heart. --Dryden.

The Persian army had advanced into the . . .
passages of Cilicia. --South.

6. A continuous course, process, or progress; a connected or
continuous series; as, the passage of time.

The conduct and passage of affairs. --Sir J.
Davies.

The passage and whole carriage of this action.
--Shak.

7. A separate part of a course, process, or series; an
occurrence; an incident; an act or deed. ``In thy passages
of life.'' --Shak.

The . . . almost incredible passage of their
unbelief. --South.

8. A particular portion constituting a part of something
continuous; esp., a portion of a book, speech, or musical
composition; a paragraph; a clause.

How commentators each dark passage shun. --Young.

9. Reception; currency. [Obs.] --Sir K. Digby.

10. A pass or en encounter; as, a passage at arms.

No passages of love
Betwixt us twain henceforward evermore. --Tennyson.

11. A movement or an evacuation of the bowels.

12. In parliamentary proceedings:
(a) The course of a proposition (bill, resolution, etc.)
through the several stages of consideration and
action; as, during its passage through Congress the
bill was amended in both Houses.
(b) The advancement of a bill or other proposition from
one stage to another by an affirmative vote; esp.,
the final affirmative action of the body upon a
proposition; hence, adoption; enactment; as, the
passage of the bill to its third reading was delayed.
``The passage of the Stamp Act.'' --D. Hosack.

The final question was then put upon its
passage. --Cushing.

{In passage}, in passing; cursorily. ``These . . . have been
studied but in passage.'' --Bacon.

{Middle passage}, {Northeast passage}, {Northwest passage}.
See under {Middle}, {Northeast}, etc.

{Of passage}, passing from one place, region, or climate, to
another; migratory; -- said especially of birds. ``Birds
of passage.'' --Longfellow.

{Passage hawk}, a hawk taken on its passage or migration.

{Passage money}, money paid for conveyance of a passenger, --
usually for carrying passengers by water.

Syn: Vestibule; hall; corridor. See {Vestibule}.