Ethel Barrymore

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An American actress famous for her long stage and film career

proper noun
/ˈɛθəl ˈbɛrɪmɔr/

: Ethel Barrymore

Many consider Ethel Barrymore one of the greatest stage actresses of her time.

Examples

Ethel Barrymore was a celebrated actress of her time.
The theater was named in honor of Ethel Barrymore's contributions to the performing arts.
Ethel Barrymore received an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1944.
Did you know that Ethel Barrymore won an Academy Award?
Many consider Ethel Barrymore one of the greatest stage actresses of her time.
Ethel Barrymore received an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1944.
The theater was named in honor of Ethel Barrymore's contributions to the performing arts.

Surface Forms

Ethel Barrymore main

Morphology

Ethel + Barrymore

This is a proper name referring to a specific historical person; the meaning (that she was an American actress from 1879–1959 and a member of the Barrymore family) is referential, not built from the lexical meanings of 'Ethel' or 'Barrymore' (both lacking dictionary senses here). Proper names are not compositionally transparent, so a B1 learner who only knows the constituent name-strings would not be able to derive the biographical/professional meaning.

Etymology

Ethel Barrymore was a famous American 'actress' from the well-known Barrymore acting family who starred on stage and in early films. That's why the name Ethel Barrymore is remembered as the name of a respected, classic stage performer.