middle passage

English

Alternative forms

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, often capitalized) Specifically, the middle part of the sea voyage by which slaves were transported from Africa to America.
    • 2007 August 23, Tristram Hunt, “A bold step away from the dead end of guilt and apology”, in The Guardian‎:
      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.
    • 2009, Herbert C. Covey, Dwight Eisnach, What the Slaves Ate, ABC-CLIO, →ISBN, page 2:
      Some slaves refused to eat during the Middle Passage voyage as an act of self-determination and control.

Further reading
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