Dead Sea
Preserved but no longer current.
The salt lake in Palestine, in the ancient Vale of Siddim; so called by the Romans (Mare Mortuum), also Lacus Asphal- tites. The water is limpid, and of a bluish- green colour; it supports no life other than microbes and a few very low organ-isms. It is about 46 miles long by 10 miles broad; its surface is about 1,300 ft. below sea-level, and it attains a depth of nearly 1,300 ft.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Dead Sea” mean?
The salt lake in Palestine, in the ancient Vale of Siddim; so called by the Romans (Mare Mortuum), also Lacus Asphal- tites. The water is limpid, and of a bluish- green colour; it supports no life other than microbes and a few very low organ-isms. It is about 46 miles long by 10 miles broad; its surface is about 1,300 ft. below sea-level, and it attains a depth of nearly 1,300 ft.
Is “Dead Sea” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.