Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun The last of a series of annoyances or disappointments that leads one to a final loss of patience, temper, trust, or hope.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun slang A small addition to a burden which causes it to exceed the capacity.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun the final irritation that stretches your patience beyond the limit
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
[From the proverb “It's the last straw that breaks the camel's back”.]
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Ellipsis of the straw that broke the camel's back.
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Examples
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skipvia commented on the word last straw
Presumably the one that broke the proverbial camel's back.
March 19, 2008