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Glite Dictionary
John Constable

John Constable

1 6.4
An English painter famous for pictures of the countryside
  • proper noun
: John Constable
  • The Hay Wain is one of John Constable's most famous works.

Examples

  • The paintings of John Constable capture the beauty of the English countryside.

  • Many art critics regard John Constable as one of the greatest landscape artists.

  • John Constable was a famous painter.

  • Look at John Constable!

  • Many art critics regard John Constable as one of the greatest landscape artists.

  • The Hay Wain is one of John Constable's most famous works.

  • The paintings of John Constable capture the beauty of the English countryside.

Surface Forms

John Constable main

Morphology

John + Constable

This is a proper name referring to a specific historical person (an English landscape painter). Knowing the constituent words 'John' and 'Constable' does not allow a learner to derive the biographical meaning or profession—at best they might guess it is a person's name—so the meaning is referential and not compositionally predictable.

Etymology

John Constable was an English painter who loved the countryside and painted calm 'landscape' scenes. One famous picture, The Hay Wain, shows a wooden cart by a river, and that's why his name makes people think of peaceful country views.