John Roebling
1
8.9
- proper noun
- The famous engineer John Roebling designed the Brooklyn Bridge.
Examples
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John Roebling was the visionary engineer behind the Brooklyn Bridge.
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The innovative ideas of John Roebling revolutionized suspension bridge construction in the 19th century.
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John Roebling was the visionary engineer behind the Brooklyn Bridge.
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Many engineering students study the work of John Roebling for inspiration.
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John Roebling was born in Germany in 1806.
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Many engineering students study the work of John Roebling for inspiration.
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The innovative ideas of John Roebling revolutionized suspension bridge construction in the 19th century.
Synonyms
1
8.4
A German-American engineer who designed and began building the Brooklyn Bridge
Surface Forms
Morphology
John + Roebling
This is a proper name referring to a specific historical person; knowing the constituents 'John' and 'Roebling' (a given name and a surname) does not enable a B1 learner to infer that he was a 19th-century engineer who designed the Brooklyn Bridge. Proper names are referential rather than compositional, so the meaning cannot be derived from the parts.
Etymology
John Roebling was the man who designed and began building the 'Brooklyn Bridge' in the 1800s. He made the bridge's strong cables by twisting many wires together, so picture him twisting wire ropes high above the water — that's why his name is linked to the famous bridge and to building long bridges with hanging cables.