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Lake Ontario

Lake Ontario

2.4
A large lake between Ontario, Canada and New York, USA
  • proper noun
  • /leɪk ɒnˈtɛrɪoʊ/
translation icon : Lago Ontario
  • Many tourists enjoy sailing on Lake Ontario during the summer months.
  • Erie and Lake Ontario

Examples

  • Every year, thousands of people visit Lake Ontario to take part in various outdoor activities.

  • Many ships travel through the St. Lawrence River from Lake Ontario to the Atlantic Ocean.

  • In the winter, heavy snowfall often occurs near Lake Ontario due to lake-effect snow.

  • The city of Toronto is located on the northern shore of Lake Ontario.

  • I visited Lake Ontario last summer.

  • Have you ever been to Lake Ontario?

  • The fish population in Lake Ontario is monitored to ensure a sustainable ecosystem.

Synonyms

Ontario
vsLake Ontario
7 2.7

The smallest of the Great Lakes on the border between Canada and the United States

is more specific and adds easternmost position and named bordering regions

Surface Forms

Morphology

lake + Ontario

The name is fully compositional: 'lake' denotes the type of geographic feature and 'Ontario' identifies which lake, so a learner who knows both words can infer it refers to the lake called Ontario. This type+name naming pattern is cross-linguistically common, making the expression immediately understandable to B1 learners.

Etymology

Lake Ontario may come from an old Native American word, Ontario, that meant 'beautiful lake' or 'sparkling water', so the name simply describes the lake's bright, shining surface between Canada and the United States.