Great Slave Lake

6.1

A large lake in the Northwest Territories of Canada drained by the Mackenzie River

proper noun

: Gran Lago Esclavo

The Mackenzie River flows northward, draining the waters of Great Slave Lake into the Arctic Ocean.

Examples

The Great Slave Lake is the largest lake in the Northwest Territories.
Fishing is a popular activity on Great Slave Lake, especially in the summer.
The expedition crossed the ice of Great Slave Lake during the harsh winter months.
Have you ever visited Great Slave Lake?
Fishing is a popular activity on Great Slave Lake, especially in the summer.
The Mackenzie River flows northward, draining the waters of Great Slave Lake into the Arctic Ocean.
The expedition crossed the ice of Great Slave Lake during the harsh winter months.

Surface Forms

Great Slave Lake main

Morphology

great + Slave + lake

The elements 'great' and 'lake' transparently signal a large lake, so a B1 learner who knows those words could infer it refers to a big lake. However, 'Slave' here is a capitalized toponymic element (not the literal noun 'slave') with an arbitrary historical/ethnic origin, so the full referential meaning and why that name is used are not derivable from the constituents.

Etymology

Great Slave Lake gets its name from what early traders called the local people, the 'Slavey', and they used that name for the large lake by which those people lived. So today the lake's name remembers the people who lived there, not the idea of slavery.