Louisiana Purchase
3
4.7
- proper noun
- /luˈiːziˌænə ˈpɜːrʧəs/
:
Compra de Luisiana
- The Louisiana Purchase in 1803 allowed the United States to expand its territory significantly.
- Jefferson and the Louisiana Purchase
Examples
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The Rocky Mountain region, familiar to Native Americans and French trappers, was not formally explored until the Lewis and Clark Expedition following the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 (Ambrose 2013).
Academic text (2018) -
In 1803, France sold much of continental North America to the United States in what Americans were to call the Louisiana Purchase for 15 million dollars, and 65 years later, Russia sold Alaska to the US for about 7 million dollars.
Academic text (2004) -
This whole region here, about 830,000 square miles, was part of the original Louisiana Purchase.
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Much of the United States' current territory consists of such purchases, including the Alaska purchase of 1867 and the Louisiana purchase of 1803.
Academic text (2001) -
After the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, Hillhouse fought to bar the importation of slaves into the Louisiana Territory.
Blog text (4) -
As Jefferson's Secretary of State (1801–1809), Madison supervised the Louisiana Purchase, which doubled the nation's size.
Blog text (19) -
In 1803, Thomas Jefferson orchestrated the Louisiana Purchase, acquiring vast lands from France.
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The Louisiana Purchase was a pivotal moment in American history, nearly doubling the size of the nation.
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase transparently combines the place name 'Louisiana' with the noun 'purchase', so a learner who knows both words will readily infer it refers to the buying or acquisition of Louisiana. Although it names a specific 1803 historical transaction with details that require background knowledge, the core meaning (the purchase/acquisition of the territory called Louisiana) is compositionally predictable and cross-linguistically straightforward.
Etymology
Louisiana Purchase comes from a real land deal in 1803 when the United States bought a huge region called Louisiana from France. So the name simply means the 'purchase' of Louisiana, and today it refers to that big land 'deal' that doubled the country's size.