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Glite Dictionary
Huckleberry Finn

Huckleberry Finn

14 7.8
A boy in a famous book by Mark Twain who has adventures on the Mississippi River
  • proper noun
  • /ˈhʌkəlˌbɛri fɪn/
  • Literature
: Huckleberry Finn
  • However, I still chose The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in your poll.
  • the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
  • Twain's Huckleberry Finn
  • Huckleberry Finn, by Mark

Examples

  • In "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," the title character embarks on a journey down the Mississippi River.

  • Before long, Tom's best friend Huckleberry Finn came along.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • I read my daughter Huckleberry Finn last summer.

    Piranha (1978)

  • It's not that video games are worthless; it's that Huckleberry Finn is so well written and intelligent.

    Blog text (17)

  • The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, now a classic American novel, was once banned in Concord, Massachusetts.

    Academic text (1992)

  • I don't think anyone means to take away from the greatness of Huckleberry Finn or Mark Twain.

    Blog text (17)

  • Selections from Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn illustrate another way to accomplish the same end.

    Academic text (1998)

  • Personally, I would suggest that Huckleberry Finn and Moby-Dick are America's Iliad and Odyssey.

    Blog text (17)

  • Mark Twain's novel features Huckleberry Finn as a mischievous boy seeking freedom and adventure.

  • Readers often discuss the moral lessons presented through Huckleberry Finn in Twain's classic tale.

Synonyms

Huck Finn
vsHuckleberry Finn
  • Literature
16 5.8

A mischievous and adventurous boy who is the main character in Mark Twain's novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

is the full formal name of the same character rather than the short form

Surface Forms

Huckleberry Finn main

Morphology

Huckleberry + Finn

This is a proper name for a literary character, and its meaning (a mischievous boy from Mark Twain's novel) is not derivable from the parts. Knowing 'huckleberry' as a berry and 'Finn' as a nationality or surname does not allow a B1 learner to infer the character's identity or traits, so the expression is lexically arbitrary and opaque.

Etymology

Huckleberry Finn is the name Mark Twain gave to a poor, mischievous boy who lives by the Mississippi River, and Huckleberry (a small wild berry) gives the image of a free country child who eats berries and loves adventure. So calling someone a 'Huckleberry Finn' means they are a young, independent, adventurous person who likes a bit of mischief.