Le Havre
3
5.0
- proper noun
- The citizens of Le Havre will just have to take their chances with the pox.
- Le Havre, France
Examples
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Instead of proceeding directly to Paris, though, we had come down the coast from Ste. Anne to Le Havre to meet first with Jamie's cousin, Jared Fraser.
Fiction book (1992) -
We had originally intended to go to Rome, not Le Havre.
Fiction book (1992) -
Le Havre was an important center of shipping traffic, and the docks were the heart of the city.
Fiction book (1992) -
Because of the difficulties of traveling in the winter, we had been nearly a week on the road from Ste. Anne to Le Havre.
Fiction book (1992) -
Le Havre is known for its historic architecture and vibrant culture as a major port city in northern France.
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The international shipping routes through Le Havre make it one of the busiest ports on the English Channel.
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Tourists often visit Le Havre to enjoy its beautiful waterfront and rich maritime history.
Surface Forms
Morphology
Le + Havre
This is a proper name (a French place and a film title) rather than a compositional English phrase; knowing the parts 'Le' and 'Havre' (which are non‑English and not glossed here) would at best suggest 'the harbour' but would not allow a learner to infer the specific referent or that it names a 2011 film. Proper nouns and titles are typically arbitrary and language-specific, so the overall meaning cannot be derived from the constituents.
Etymology
Le Havre comes from French words 'le' (the) and 'havre' ('harbour' or 'haven'). The town began as a harbour at the mouth of a river, so the name directly tells you it is a port city.