Baton Rouge
54
3.6
- proper noun
- /ˈbætən ruːʒ/
- Many tourists visit Baton Rouge to explore its rich history and culture.
- Baton Rouge, Louisiana
- Baton Rouge, LA
- East Baton Rouge
Examples
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Paul phoned that night from Baton Rouge, and I told him about Mrs. Flemming.
Fiction book (1995) -
The mayor of Baton Rouge announced new plans for the city's development.
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Block off all access in and out of Baton Rouge.
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So I was living in Baton Rouge with my mama.
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I need surveillance over the City of Baton Rouge immediately.
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The team arrived in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on September 6 and established a base of operations.
Academic text (2006) -
We had been settled for less than two weeks in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in a house that was too large.
Fiction book (2000) -
One weekend in October, Mother and Daddy went to Baton Rouge to see L.S.U. play Ole Miss.
Fiction book (1998) -
I've got to go to Baton Rouge and won't be back until dinner.
Fiction book (1995) -
Currently, he teaches at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge and is the editor of the literary journal Exquisite Corpse.
Academic text (2010)
Surface Forms
Morphology
Baton + Rouge
Baton Rouge is a toponym whose referent (the capital city of Louisiana) cannot be predicted from its surface parts. Even if a learner knew 'baton' and 'rouge' (French/loan forms meaning roughly 'stick' and 'red'), that would only suggest 'red stick' and not the city identity, so the expression is idiomatic/opaque for learners.
Etymology
Baton Rouge comes from the French words baton meaning 'stick' and rouge meaning 'red'. One popular story says French explorers saw a red-painted stick that marked a boundary between Native American areas and called the place 'red stick', so the city kept that name.