Louis XV
2
8.2
- proper noun
- /luˈiː ɪkˈzɛv/
- If the paintings, original and copied, ordered under d'Antin during the regency and in the early reign of Louis XV, are construed as a response to the problem of commissioning art in changed conditions of royal service, they seem telling in their incoherence.
- reign of Louis XV
Examples
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During the reign of Louis XV, France engaged in numerous conflicts, including the War of the Austrian Succession.
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The adult reign of Louis XV was underway, but only barely, and its direction remained in doubt.
Academic text (1996) -
Yet the symbolism of the announcement by Louis XV, then sixteen and recently married, must not be discounted.
Academic text (1996) -
Louis XV himself, the nominal sponsor of the competition, apparently never visited the exhibition.
Academic text (1996) -
Although this particular embassy was not very significant from a diplomatic point of view, the occasion did mark the first time that Louis XV participated in such a ceremony, representing a symbolic renewal of ties to the reign of his august predecessor.
Academic text (1996) -
The year before, Louis XV had returned to reside at Versailles; Masse later claimed that the young king came to watch him at work as he drew the ceiling for engraving; ibid., 18.
Academic text (1996) -
D'Antin's proposal coincided with one of the most symbolically freighted moments of the young reign: Louis XV's announcement of his intention to govern alone, without a prime minister.
Academic text (1996) -
The notebook, originally published in 1770, of Charles Germain de Saint-Aubin, designer to Louis XV, includes a drawing of an embroidery frame with fabric stretched over it.
Academic text (1996) -
King Louis XV ruled France from 1715 until his death in 1774, significantly impacting European history.
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The policies of Louis XV led to both cultural flourishing and financial difficulties for France in the 18th century.
Synonyms
1
8.5
The king of France from 1715 to 1774 who led the country in two big wars
Surface Forms
Morphology
Louis + XV
The sequence combines a proper name with a Roman numeral (XV = 15), so a learner who knows the constituents can decode it as 'Louis the fifteenth'. However, identifying this as the historical King of France (his reign and biographical details) requires encyclopedic/historical knowledge beyond the literal constituents, so the full referential meaning is not fully predictable from the parts.
Etymology
Louis XV is the name of a French king; the letters XV mean 15, so his name means 'Louis the fifteenth', and he became king at five and ruled in the 1700s. That's why the name now refers both to the man who was king and to the furniture and style made during his time as king.