Darius the Great

1 9.1

A king of Persia who expanded the empire and lost at the Battle of Marathon

proper noun

: Darío el Grande

Darius the Great ruled the Persian Empire at its height, overseeing vast territory and diverse peoples.

Examples

At the Battle of Marathon, Darius the Great faced a surprising defeat by the Athenians.
Many achievements in infrastructure and administration are credited to Darius the Great.
Did Darius the Great really invade Greece?
Many historians regard Darius the Great as one of the most significant rulers of ancient Persia.
Darius the Great ruled the Persian Empire at its height, overseeing vast territory and diverse peoples.
At the Battle of Marathon, Darius the Great faced a surprising defeat by the Athenians.
Many historians regard Darius the Great as one of the most significant rulers of ancient Persia.

Synonyms

Darius I

vsDarius the Great

1 8.8

A Persian king who expands the empire and leads the first invasion of Greece and is defeated at Marathon

is the epithet style used to praise or distinguish the same ruler

Surface Forms

Darius the Great main

Morphology

Darius + the + great

The epithet 'the Great' transparently signals an honored or distinguished person, so a B1 learner who knows the words will recognize this as a famous historical figure named Darius. However, the specific information that he was the Persian king who invaded Greece (and the historical details) cannot be derived from the constituents alone, so the expression is only partially transparent.

Etymology

Darius the Great comes from his many big achievements as king: he grew the Persian Empire, built roads and cities, and made the government work better. That's why people added 'the Great' to show he was a 'powerful' and 'successful' ruler.