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Glite Dictionary
Louis XVI

Louis XVI

4 8.1
A king of France from 1774 to 1792 who was put to death during the French Revolution
  • proper noun
  • /luˈiː ʒɛkˈzɛv/
: Luis XVI
  • Louis XVI was king!
  • King Louis XVI

Examples

  • King Louis XVI ruled France for 18 years.

  • Louis XVI was overthrown during the French Revolution in 1792.

  • Many history books detail the trial and execution of Louis XVI.

  • The reign of Louis XVI marked a turning point in European history.

  • King Louis XVI ruled France from 1774 until his execution during the French Revolution in 1792.

  • Louis XVI's indecisiveness contributed to the growing unrest that led to the French Revolution.

  • The execution of King Louis XVI marked a significant turning point in the history of France.

Surface Forms

Louis XVI main

Morphology

Louis + XVI

A learner who knows 'Louis' as a personal name and 'XVI' as the Roman numeral for sixteen can read this as 'Louis the Sixteenth' and—because regnal numerals commonly indicate monarchs across languages—may infer it refers to a historical ruler. However, the specific facts (that he was the King of France from 1774–1792 and was executed in the Revolution) are not recoverable from the constituents alone, so the identity is only partly predictable.

Etymology

Louis XVI, that is Louis and XVI, means 'Louis the 16th' because he was the 16th king with that name. He was the French 'king' from 1774 to 1792 and is remembered because the French Revolution removed him from power and he was 'executed' by guillotine.