Isle of Man
1
4.2
- proper noun
:
Isla de Man
- The Isle of Man is famous for its annual motorcycle races that attract participants from all over the world.
Examples
-
He also took a job as resident witch at the Museum of Witchcraft on the Isle of Man and began initiating people into the movement.
Academic text (1993) -
These stamps from the Isle of Man are also very pretty.
Blog text (4) -
Excalibur Almaz is based in Douglas, Isle of Man, with offices in Houston and Moscow.
Academic text (2008) -
Visitors to the Isle of Man enjoy its stunning landscapes and unique culture.
-
During my trip to the Isle of Man, I explored its beautiful coastline and historic sites.
Synonyms
∞
3.5
An island in the Irish Sea between Great Britain and Ireland
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is compositional: 'isle' clearly denotes an island and the prepositional structure 'of Man' shows association or naming, so a learner who knows the parts can infer it refers to an island called/associated with 'Man'. Although 'Man' is a proper name here (not the common noun 'man') which may cause minor confusion, the noun + of + name to form a place name is a common, cross-linguistic pattern and thus readily understandable to a B1 learner.
Etymology
Isle of Man simply means 'island of Man'. One popular story says the words Isle and Man come from an old sea god or a local leader called 'Manannán', so the island was thought to belong to 'Man', which is why we call it the Isle of Man today.