Francis Scott Key

2 7.3

An American lawyer and poet who wrote the words of the United States national anthem

proper noun
/ˈfrænsɪs skɒt ki/

: Francis Scott Key

Francis Scott Key wrote the poem that became the lyrics of the American national anthem after witnessing the Battle of Baltimore.

Examples

The legacy of Francis Scott Key lives on every time 'The Star-Spangled Banner' is sung at sports events.
A statue of Francis Scott Key stands in Baltimore to honor his historic contribution.
Did you know Francis Scott Key wrote the anthem?
What did Francis Scott Key write?
Francis Scott Key wrote the poem that became the lyrics of the American national anthem after witnessing the Battle of Baltimore.
A statue of Francis Scott Key stands in Baltimore to honor his historic contribution.
The legacy of Francis Scott Key lives on every time 'The Star-Spangled Banner' is sung at sports events.

Surface Forms

Francis Scott Key main

Morphology

Francis + Scott + Key

This is a personal name (proper noun) referring to a historical individual; knowing the literal words 'Francis', 'Scott', and 'Key' does not allow a B1 learner to infer that this person was an American lawyer and poet who wrote the Star‑Spangled Banner. The meaning is encyclopedic/world knowledge rather than a compositional lexical meaning, so it is not derivable from the constituents.

Etymology

Francis Scott Key watched the American flag still flying over Fort McHenry after a fierce battle and wrote a poem about that image. That poem later became the words of the United States' national anthem, called 'The Star-Spangled Banner'.