marine league: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
RareFormal, Technical, Archaic
Quick answer
What does “marine league” mean?
A unit of distance, especially at sea, equal to three nautical miles.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A unit of distance, especially at sea, equal to three nautical miles.
1. A historical unit of distance used in maritime contexts. 2. Occasionally used in discussions of territorial waters. 3. A metric for measuring offshore limits.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant differences in meaning or usage. The term is equally archaic and specialized in both variants.
Connotations
Historical, legalistic, technical. Associated with older maritime law and exploration.
Frequency
Extremely rare in both British and American English. It may appear slightly more frequently in British historical texts due to the UK's long maritime history, but this is marginal.
Grammar
How to Use “marine league” in a Sentence
within N marine leagues of N (shore/coast)extending N marine leagues to seaa territorial limit of N marine leaguesVocabulary
Collocations
Usage
Meaning in Context
Academic
Used in historical, legal, or geographical papers discussing the evolution of maritime law and territorial boundaries.
Everyday
Virtually never used.
Technical
May appear in historical navigation contexts, old maritime law texts, or discussions on the history of territorial waters.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “marine league”
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “marine league”
- Writing as 'marine leage'.
- Using it as a synonym for a group of naval ships (e.g., 'a league of marine vessels').
- Confusing it with a general 'league' on land.
- Assuming it is a common or modern unit of measurement.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, it is an archaic unit. Modern navigation uses the nautical mile exclusively.
A marine league is exactly three nautical miles (approx. 5.56 km). A land league, now also obsolete, varied historically but was often about three statute miles (approx. 4.83 km).
You might encounter it in historical texts, old maritime law cases, or academic discussions about the history of territorial seas.
No, it is an extremely rare and highly specialized term. Most native speakers will not be familiar with it.
A unit of distance, especially at sea, equal to three nautical miles.
Marine league is usually formal, technical, archaic in register.
Marine league: in British English it is pronounced /məˈriːn liːɡ/, and in American English it is pronounced /məˈriːn liːɡ/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a MARINE LEAGUE as a special LEAGUE (like a sports league) just for the MARINE (sea) world, where the goal is to measure three miles out from the coast.
Practice
Quiz
What distance does one marine league represent?