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Glite Dictionary
Manhattan Island

Manhattan Island

2.8
An island in the southeast of New York City that forms the main part of Manhattan
  • proper noun
  • /mænˈhætən ˈaɪlənd/
translation icon : Isla de Manhattan
  • The Statue of Liberty can be seen from many parts of Manhattan Island.

Examples

  • It completely surrounds Manhattan Island.

    Escape from New York (1981)

  • Manhattan Island today

    END:CIV (2011)

  • Actually, that dock where we built all the party, it's a state park, because it's the point from which George Washington and his troops escaped a battle with the British and fled over onto Manhattan Island and then escaped north up Manhattan.

    Keeping the Faith (2000)

  • Manhattan Island circa 1609

    END:CIV (2011)

  • When I was a boy, I learned about the famous landmarks on Manhattan Island.

  • Tourists flock to Manhattan Island to visit Times Square and Central Park.

Surface Forms

Manhattan Island main

Morphology

Manhattan + island

The phrase is directly compositional: a place name 'Manhattan' combined with the noun 'island' yields the literal meaning an island called Manhattan. This naming pattern (proper noun + geographic noun) is common and predictable cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will understand it.

Etymology

Manhattan Island comes from an old Native American word 'Mannahatta', which one popular story says meant 'island of many hills'. Early English settlers later added the word island, so the name points to the island we now call Manhattan.