Battle of Wake Island
1
8.6
- noun
:
Batalla de Wake Island
- The Battle of Wake Island was a significant early clash in the Pacific Theater of World War II.
Examples
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The Battle of Wake Island was significant in demonstrating the bravery of the United States marines during World War II.
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Historians often cite the bravery shown during the Battle of Wake Island as an example of determination under siege.
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Several documentaries detail the events leading up to and during the Battle of Wake Island.
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The Battle of Wake Island was a significant event in World War II.
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Did you know about the Battle of Wake Island?
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During December 1941, the Battle of Wake Island saw intense fighting after Japanese forces launched a surprise attack.
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The marines fought valiantly at the Battle of Wake Island, repelling the first waves of Japanese assault before ultimately being overrun.
Synonyms
1
8.2
A 1941 World War II battle in which Japanese forces captured Wake Island from outnumbered American marines
How Significant
Surface Forms
Morphology
This is compositionally built from 'battle' + 'of' + the place name 'Wake Island', so a learner who knows 'battle' and 'island' can infer it refers to a battle that took place at Wake Island. The 'Battle of X' naming pattern is cross-linguistically common and follows a standard place-of-occurrence construction, making the meaning predictable for B1 learners.
Etymology
Battle of Wake Island was a fight in December 1941 on a small Pacific island called Wake Island, where U.S. marines tried to stop a Japanese attack. The name simply puts battle and Wake Island together, so it refers to that specific 'fight' and the brave defense remembered today.