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Lake Michigan

Lake Michigan

3 1.2
A very large freshwater lake entirely within the United States
  • proper noun
  • /leɪk ˈmɪʃɪɡən/
translation icon : Lago Michigan
  • If you drive north from Chicago along Lake Michigan, you will pass through several increasingly wealthy suburbs.
  • shore of Lake Michigan
  • Lake Michigan beach
  • Lake Michigan water

Examples

  • Lake Shore Drive was relocated to create a walkable "museum campus" bordering Lake Michigan.

    Academic text (2004)
  • I drove to one of the piers and looked at Lake Michigan.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • If you drive north from Chicago along Lake Michigan, you will pass through several increasingly wealthy suburbs.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • I spent it this year as I have every year for the past three: boating on Lake Michigan.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • The wind from Lake Michigan had cleared the sky, and a half moon lit the towers of the city.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • Last summer, George and Celia rented a cottage on the shore of Lake Michigan.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • In Chicago, forecasters warned that high waves and flooding were possible on the Lake Michigan shore Wednesday.

    Blog text (34)
  • The island, rich in nature, history, and recreation, sits at the Straits of Mackinac where Lake Michigan joins Lake Huron.

    Academic text (2003)
  • The property is located near the southern shore of Lake Michigan and enjoys two natural advantages.

  • You simply cannot be rushed or stressed when you wake up and see Lake Michigan staring at you.

Synonyms

Michigan
vsLake Michigan
26 1.0

A Great Lake that is the largest freshwater lake lying entirely within the United States

means the same but uses within phrasing instead of lying

Surface Forms

Morphology

lake + Michigan

The phrase is a straightforward composition of the noun 'lake' with the proper name 'Michigan', so a B1 learner who knows both words will understand it denotes a lake called Michigan (i.e. a specific lake). Detailed encyclopedic facts (exact size or political location) require background knowledge, but the basic referential meaning is transparently derived from the constituents.

Etymology

Lake Michigan comes from the Ojibwe word 'mishigami', which means 'great water' or 'large lake'. French explorers changed the word to 'Michigan', so the name simply means 'big lake' and fits the lake's very large size.