Great Victoria Desert
- proper noun
:
Gran Desierto Victoria
- The Great Victoria Desert is the largest desert in Australia.
Examples
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The Great Victoria Desert covers an extensive area of Western and South Australia.
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Travelers must prepare carefully before crossing the harsh environment of the Great Victoria Desert.
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Scientists study the unique flora and fauna found in the Great Victoria Desert.
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Have you ever visited the Great Victoria Desert?
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Travelers must prepare carefully before crossing the harsh environment of the Great Victoria Desert.
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The Great Victoria Desert covers an extensive area of Western and South Australia.
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Scientists study the unique flora and fauna found in the Great Victoria Desert.
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is a descriptive place name whose meaning is directly compositional: 'great' (very large) + 'Victoria' (a proper name) + 'desert' (a dry region) yields 'a large desert named Victoria'. Although 'Victoria' is a specific name learners may or may not know, the overall referential meaning is transparent and follows common cross-linguistic place-naming patterns, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents can infer it.
Etymology
Great Victoria Desert was named by early explorers after 'Queen Victoria'; 'Great' shows it is very large and 'Desert' means dry land. So today the name refers to a very large dry area in central Australia.
