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Glite Dictionary
James Cook

James Cook

1 3.9
An English sailor and explorer who claimed Australia's east coast for Britain and mapped many Pacific islands
  • proper noun
: James Cook
  • The famous James Cook was an English navigator.

Examples

  • The voyages of James Cook had a lasting impact on navigation and global trade.

  • Many historians credit James Cook with expanding European knowledge of Australia and the South Pacific.

  • James Cook is celebrated for his detailed maps and exploration of the Pacific Ocean.

  • Did James Cook really discover Australia?

  • James Cook was a famous English navigator who claimed the east coast of Australia for Britain in the 18th century.

  • In 1770, James Cook charted many Pacific islands during his exploration of the region.

  • The voyages of James Cook greatly expanded the map of the Pacific and increased European knowledge of these lands.

Synonyms

Captain Cook
vsJames Cook
2 4.2

An English sailor who explored and mapped the east coast of Australia and many Pacific islands

uses the person's full name rather than a title
Captain James Cook
vsJames Cook
1 5.8

An English sailor and explorer who mapped Australia's east coast and found Pacific islands

refers to the person without a title using the simple full name

Surface Forms

James Cook main

Morphology

James + Cook

This is a referential proper name for a specific historical person, so its meaning (an 18th‑century navigator/explorer) is not compositionally built from the parts. Knowing the constituents 'James' (a given name) and 'cook' (a profession) would not lead a B1 learner to infer the biographical identity, so the expression is opaque.

Etymology

James Cook was an English sailor and explorer in the 1700s who sailed the Pacific in wooden ships and made careful maps. He 'claimed' the east coast of Australia for Britain, so today James Cook is the name we use for that famous explorer.