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Giovanni Boccaccio

Giovanni Boccaccio

1 9.3
An Italian writer and poet of the 1300s famous for The Decameron
  • proper noun
: Giovanni Boccaccio
  • Giovanni Boccaccio's 'The Decameron' is considered a masterpiece of Italian literature.

Examples

  • Many scholars regard Giovanni Boccaccio as a key figure of the early Renaissance.

  • Giovanni Boccaccio wrote many influential works in the 14th century.

  • Giovanni Boccaccio's 'The Decameron' is considered a masterpiece of Italian literature.

  • During his travels, Giovanni Boccaccio was influenced by classical writers and poets.

  • The famous Italian poet Giovanni Boccaccio lived during the Renaissance.

  • Many scholars regard Giovanni Boccaccio as a key figure of the early Renaissance.

  • The famous Italian poet Giovanni Boccaccio lived during the Renaissance.

Synonyms

Boccaccio
vsGiovanni Boccaccio
1 9.7

An Italian writer and poet best known for the book The Decameron

uses the full personal name instead of the family name

Surface Forms

Morphology

Giovanni + Boccaccio

This is a personal name (proper noun) referring to a specific historical individual; its meaning (an Italian poet and author of The Decameron) is referential and not compositionally derived from the constituent words. Even if a learner recognizes 'Giovanni' as a given name, that knowledge does not allow them to infer the person's identity or biographical role, so the expression is not transparent to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Giovanni Boccaccio was an Italian writer who wrote 'The Decameron', a book of one hundred short stories told by young people who left the city to escape the plague and cheered each other by telling tales. That's why his name is remembered for storytelling and for helping to change European writing after the Middle Ages.