Greater Israel
- noun
- /ˈɡreɪtər ˈɪzreɪəl/
:
Gran Israel
- Many supporters of Greater Israel believe that it encompasses regions beyond the current borders of Israel.
They're ideologically deeply committed to a greater Israel.
- They're ideologically deeply committed to a greater Israel.
- Yeah, But when we when ELO was a kid, there was no wall around Greater Israel that blocked out the West Bank and Gaza.
Examples
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The concept of Greater Israel includes territories that were once part of biblical lands.
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The advocacy for Greater Israel often sparks debates about historical claims to land.
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Yeah, But when we when ELO was a kid, there was no wall around Greater Israel that blocked out the West Bank and Gaza.
Surface Forms
Morphology
A learner who knows 'greater' (larger) and 'Israel' (the state) can reasonably infer a basic meaning of 'an Israel larger than its current borders' because the 'Greater X' construction commonly denotes an expanded or metropolitan area (e.g. Greater London), so the core locational sense is predictable. However, the specific political-ideological sense — claims to additional territory based on historic or biblical texts and the associated controversy — is not fully derivable from the parts and requires background knowledge, so the expression is only partially transparent.
Etymology
The term Greater Israel may come from old maps and biblical stories that showed a larger land for Israel, with greater meaning 'bigger' than today's borders. That clear image of a bigger country helps explain why the term is used for the idea of 'wanting more land' than the present state has.
