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Glite Dictionary
Invincible Armada

Invincible Armada

9.9
A large fleet of Spanish warships that the English navy defeated in 1588
  • proper noun
translation icon : Armada Invencible
  • The defeat of the Invincible Armada marked a turning point in European history.

Examples

  • Historians often discuss how weather contributed to the destruction of the Invincible Armada in 1588.

  • England celebrated its naval victory over the Invincible Armada for centuries afterward.

  • The Invincible Armada was a massive fleet of ships.

  • Did the Invincible Armada really lose to the English navy?

  • England celebrated its naval victory over the Invincible Armada for centuries afterward.

  • Historians often discuss how weather contributed to the destruction of the Invincible Armada in 1588.

  • The defeat of the Invincible Armada marked a turning point in European history.

Synonyms

Spanish Armada
vsInvincible Armada
1 6.7

A large group of ships sent by Spain in 1588 to invade England that the English navy defeats

has the same historical meaning but uses an epithet meaning unbeatable

Surface Forms

Invincible Armada main

Morphology

invincible + armada

The meaning is directly and compositionally derived from 'invincible' (impossible to defeat) + 'armada' (a fleet of warships), so a learner who knows both words can infer it refers to a fleet thought unbeatable. Although this is a historical proper name (and ironically the fleet was defeated), the lexical combination itself is transparent and predictable to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Invincible Armada comes from Spain's idea of a great, unbeatable 'fleet': invincible means 'unbeatable' and armada refers to a group of warships. In 1588 the fleet was hit hard by storms and English attacks, so the proud name is remembered because the 'invincible' fleet was actually 'defeated'.