The narrow strip of wilderness is not given the distinction of a proper name in the Book of Mormon, only a three-word descriptive phrase indicating its form as “narrow,” its breadth relative to its length as a “strip,” and its visible landscape feature as a “wilderness.” Each of these three descriptive words, however, has helpful and precise meanings.

According to the New Oxford American Dictionary, “narrow” as an adjective refers to something “of small width.” Narrow also refers to a landform that is shorter in width relative to the breadth of adjacent areas. In this case, the narrow strip of wilderness would have less width or breadth than the land of Nephi to the south and the land of Zarahemla to the north. Narrow can also describe something that is “restricted” or “limited in extent, amount, or scope.” Using its older English roots, the word narrow indicates something that is “strait” or “confined,” a situation characterized by a specified degree of trouble or difficulty, or “dismal” and “unpleasant.”

The dictionary meaning of a “strip” of land refers to a long, narrow piece of terrain “of approximately uniform breadth,” or “the same width throughout its length,” such as the Gaza Strip, a long, narrow strip of land in Palestine along the eastern Mediterranean Sea between Israel and Egypt. A strip of land, by definition, has a length greater than its width. In contrast, a narrow land area could have a width equal to its length.

Narrow and strip when used together describe a long, narrow area of land that is approximately uniform in breadth throughout its length, with the terrain characteristics of being strait or constrained as well as unpleasant or dismal, and within a width that is shorter than the breadth of adjacent land areas. The Book of Mormon account describes several journeys through the narrow strip of wilderness along “strait” or difficult routes through unpleasant territory (See below for an analysis of 13 journeys through the narrow strip of wilderness).