Solent, the western portion, Spithead (q.v.) being the eastern, of the strait which separates the Isle of Wight from the mainland of Hants, 17 m. long, with an average breadth of 3 m., but at its W. entrance, opposite Hurst Castle, contracts to ¾ m.
Definition taken from The Nuttall Encyclopædia, edited by the Reverend James Wood (1907)
Solemn League and Covenant * Soleure