Catherine Parr

1 8.4

A queen of England who was the sixth and final wife of Henry VIII and supported changes to the church

proper noun

: Catalina Parr

Historians recognize Catherine Parr as a key figure in supporting religious reform in England.

Examples

Catherine Parr was instrumental in the education of Henry VIII’s children.
After the death of Henry VIII, Catherine Parr married Thomas Seymour.
Queen Catherine Parr was married to Henry VIII.
Did Catherine Parr influence the English Reformation?
Catherine Parr was instrumental in the education of Henry VIII’s children.
Historians recognize Catherine Parr as a key figure in supporting religious reform in England.
After the death of Henry VIII, Catherine Parr married Thomas Seymour.

Surface Forms

Catherine Parr main

Morphology

Catherine + Parr

This is a proper name referring to a specific historical person; the information that she was Henry VIII's sixth wife and a queen cannot be derived from the name parts 'Catherine' and 'Parr'. A B1 learner who only knows the constituent words as names would not infer the biographical meaning, so the expression must be learned as a lexicalized referent.

Etymology

Catherine Parr was the sixth and last wife of King Henry VIII who kept a calm presence at court, taught and cared for his children, and quietly supported religious change. So her name is remembered as 'a wise stepmother' and as someone who helped bring 'religious change' to England.