Canadian River
- proper noun
- /kəˈneɪdiən ˈrɪvər/
- The Canadian River flows eastward across the Texas panhandle before joining the Arkansas River.
Examples
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The Canadian River flows through the Texas panhandle.
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Many towns along the Canadian River rely on it for their water supply.
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His family owns land near the banks of the Canadian River in Texas.
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The Canadian River forms an important part of the watershed in the southern Great Plains.
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Have you ever seen the Canadian River in person?
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Many towns along the Canadian River depend on it for irrigation and drinking water.
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His family often goes fishing at the Canadian River during the summer.
Synonyms
A river that starts in New Mexico and flows into Oklahoma
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun 'river' makes the core meaning (that this is a river) directly transparent to a learner who knows the constituents, but the modifier 'Canadian' would likely be interpreted as relating to Canada, which is misleading for this specific named river. Because the exact referent and geographic facts of the proper name cannot be derived from the words alone and require world knowledge, the expression is only partly predictable.
Etymology
Canadian River may come from the Spanish word cañada, which means 'small valley' and was used by early Spanish speakers for the land along the stream. English speakers heard cañada as 'Canadian', so the river kept that name — this is why the name refers to the landscape, not the country of Canada.