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Enewetak Atoll

Enewetak Atoll

9.9
A ring of islands in the Marshall Islands where the US tested nuclear bombs after a WWII battle
  • proper noun
  • /ˌiːnəˈtɑːk ˈætɔl/
translation icon : Atolón Enewetak
  • During the Cold War, the United States conducted nuclear tests at Enewetak Atoll.

Examples

  • The Battle of Enewetak Atoll was a significant campaign in the Pacific during World War II.

  • Scientists still study the long-term environmental impact of nuclear testing on Enewetak Atoll.

  • The Enewetak Atoll is a significant historical site.

  • Did the U.S. conduct tests at Enewetak Atoll?

  • During the Cold War, the United States conducted nuclear tests at Enewetak Atoll.

  • Scientists still study the long-term environmental impact of nuclear testing on Enewetak Atoll.

  • The Battle of Enewetak Atoll was a significant campaign in the Pacific during World War II.

Synonyms

Eniwetok
vsEnewetak Atoll
1 9.9

A ring-shaped island in the Marshall Islands known for a World War II battle and later United States nuclear tests

is the modern preferred spelling for that same atoll

Surface Forms

Morphology

Enewetak + atoll

The phrase is a straightforward place name combining a proper noun with the common noun 'atoll'; a B1 learner who knows 'atoll' will immediately understand this refers to an island (coral with a lagoon) called Enewetak. The specific historical or testing significance of that atoll is not derivable from the constituents, but the basic referential meaning is transparently compositional.

Etymology

Enewetak Atoll is a small ring of islands in the Marshall Islands that became famous after a hard World War II battle and then because the United States used the atoll for many atomic bomb tests, leaving a clear image of tiny islands changed by huge explosions. That's why people now think of Enewetak Atoll when they talk about 'nuclear testing' and long-term environmental damage.