Caledonian Canal

6.0

A canal in northern Scotland that connects the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean

proper noun

: canal caledonio

Engineers built the Caledonian Canal in the early 19th century to provide a navigable route across Scotland.

Examples

We took a scenic boat tour along the Caledonian Canal during our trip to Scotland.
Although the Caledonian Canal is no longer heavily used for shipping, it attracts many tourists each year.
The Caledonian Canal is a popular destination for tourists.
Have you ever visited the Caledonian Canal?
We took a scenic boat tour along the Caledonian Canal during our trip to Scotland.
Engineers built the Caledonian Canal in the early 19th century to provide a navigable route across Scotland.
Although the Caledonian Canal is no longer heavily used for shipping, it attracts many tourists each year.

Surface Forms

Caledonian Canal main

Morphology

Caledonian + canal

The meaning is directly compositional: 'Caledonian' signals a Scottish or Highland relation and 'canal' denotes an engineered water channel, so a learner who knows both words can infer it is a canal associated with Scotland. Precise geographic or historical details are specific world knowledge but the basic referent is transparently derivable; adjective+noun place naming is cross-linguistically common.

Etymology

Caledonian Canal takes its name from 'Caledonia', an old name for Scotland, and refers to the man-made water route cut through lochs and land so boats could travel across the country. That's why today Caledonian Canal means the long Scottish canal that links the North Sea to the Atlantic and is used by boats and tourists.