Innocent XI

1 9.9

A 17th century Italian pope who opposed the French king Louis XIV and became a saint in 1956

proper noun

: Inocencio XI

Louis XIV tried to take Monaco, but failed.

Examples

Louis XIV failed to take Monaco, Napoleon failed to take Monaco, de Gaulle will fail to take Monaco, no matter what happens here tonight.

Grace of Monaco (2014)
Meanwhile, at the Palace of Versailles, Marie-Josephe's father, King Louis XIV, King of France, had recently returned victorious from an expensive war that had dragged on for years.

The King's Daughter (2022)
Innocent XI served as pope during a tumultuous period in European history.
Many Catholics revere Innocent XI for his piety and leadership.
In 1956, Innocent XI was canonized by the Catholic Church.

Synonyms

Benedetto Odescalchi

vsInnocent XI

9.9

An Italian pope in the 1600s known for being very holy and opposing Louis XIV

has identical meaning but uses the official papal name

Surface Forms

Innocent XI main

Morphology

Innocent + XI

This is a regnal/proper name (a specific pope) rather than a compositional phrase; knowing the adjective 'innocent' and the numeral 'XI' ('eleven') does not enable a B1 learner to derive that this refers to a particular pope or his historical details. While many languages use names with numerals for monarchs and popes, the meaning is lexicalized and not predictable from the constituents.

Etymology

Innocent XI comes from the custom that a new 'pope' takes a new name. The chosen name Innocent suggests being pure or not guilty and XI shows he was the eleventh to use it, which helps you remember him as the 1600s 'pope' known for holiness and later made a 'saint'.