middle passage

English

Etymology

middle + passage

Noun

middle passage (plural middle passages)

  1. (obsolete) A middle way, especially between two extremes; an intermediate path in space or time.
  2. (now historical) Specifically, the middle part of the sea voyage by which slaves were transported from Africa to America.
    • 2007, Tristram Hunt, The Guardian, 23 Aug 2007:
      The city once laid claim to the largest fleet of slave ships in the history of the trade as its merchants overtook Bristol and London in dominating the Middle Passage.
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