Harold Kroto

1 9.3

A British chemist who discovered a new form of carbon and won a Nobel Prize

proper noun

: Harold Kroto

Harold Kroto was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on fullerenes.

Examples

The discovery by Harold Kroto transformed the scientific understanding of molecular carbon.
The Nobel Prize was awarded to Harold Kroto in 1996.
Many students learn about Harold Kroto when studying advances in carbon chemistry.
Did you know that Harold Kroto contributed to the discovery of fullerenes?
Harold Kroto was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on fullerenes.
Many students learn about Harold Kroto when studying advances in carbon chemistry.
Did you know that Harold Kroto contributed to the discovery of fullerenes?

Surface Forms

Harold Kroto main

Morphology

Harold + Kroto

This is a proper name referring to a specific individual; the constituent tokens 'Harold' and 'Kroto' are personal names without standalone lexical meanings. A B1 learner who knows the names would not be able to infer the biographical information (British chemist, discoverer of fullerenes, Nobel laureate) from the parts, so the expression is opaque.

Etymology

Harold Kroto was a British chemist who, with two colleagues, discovered 'fullerenes', a new form of carbon made of hollow molecules shaped like a soccer ball. That big discovery won him a Nobel Prize and is why his name is now linked to modern carbon research.