Discovery Day
1
4.2
- noun
- /dɪsˈkʌvəri deɪ/
- Canadian
:
Día del Descubrimiento
- Is Discovery Day a public holiday in your country?
Examples
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Many schools and offices are closed on Discovery Day each year.
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Some historians debate the importance of Discovery Day in modern times.
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The parade celebrating Discovery Day attracts thousands of people.
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We celebrate Discovery Day every October.
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Many schools organize special events to celebrate Discovery Day each year.
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On Discovery Day, people reflect on the history of Columbus's journey to America.
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Families gather to enjoy food and festivities during Discovery Day celebrations.
Synonyms
5
3.2
A public holiday in the United States on the second Monday in October to remember Columbus's arrival in the Americas
2
1.0
A public holiday in some countries to remember the arrival of Christopher Columbus in the Americas in 1492
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun follows the productive English pattern 'X Day' where 'discovery' + 'day' transparently yields 'a day commemorating a discovery', so a B1 learner who knows the two words would readily infer it is a holiday marking a discovery. The precise historical referent (e.g. Columbus/the Americas) is cultural information not derivable from morphology, but that does not make the basic meaning opaque.
Etymology
Discovery Day comes from the image of sailors landing on new land, stepping from ships and planting a flag to show they had 'discovered' it. People later made that event into a 'holiday', so today Discovery Day is a day to remember the arrival of explorers like Christopher Columbus.