Alan Shepard

2 5.0

An astronaut who became the first American in space in 1961

proper noun
/ˈælən ˈʃɛpərd/

: Alan Shepard

Did you know Alan Shepard was the first American in space?

Examples

Alan Shepard flew on the Freedom 7 mission in 1961.
In 1961, Alan Shepard became the first American astronaut to reach suborbital flight.
Alan Shepard made history as the first American to travel into space.
A memorial was dedicated to Alan Shepard at the space museum.
The achievements of Alan Shepard inspired generations of astronauts.
Alan Shepard made history as the first American to travel into space.
Many people admire Alan Shepard for his pioneering role in the early days of space exploration.

Surface Forms

Alan Shepard main

Morphology

Alan + Shepard

This is a proper name referring to a specific historical person; the constituents 'Alan' and 'Shepard' are personal names with no compositional meaning that would indicate 'American astronaut' or 'first American in space.' Understanding this MWE requires background/world knowledge rather than knowing the constituent words, so it is non-compositional for learners.

Etymology

Alan Shepard belongs to an American astronaut who in 1961 became the 'first American in space' on a short suborbital flight and later walked on the Moon. So Alan Shepard usually refers to that historic astronaut and his achievements.