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Glite Dictionary
Margarete Gertrud Zelle

Margarete Gertrud Zelle

9.9
A Dutch dancer and courtesan who the French executed for spying in World War I
  • proper noun
  • NSFW
: Margarete Gertrud Zelle
  • Margarete Gertrud Zelle was a famous dancer and spy during World War I, known as Mata Hari.

Examples

  • Margarete Gertrud Zelle became internationally known under her stage name Mata Hari.

  • The infamous Margarete Gertrud Zelle was executed in 1917.

  • Many books have been written about the mysterious life of Margarete Gertrud Zelle.

  • The story of Margarete Gertrud Zelle has become a symbol of intrigue and espionage.

  • Did you know that Margarete Gertrud Zelle was a spy?

  • The life of Margarete Gertrud Zelle, who was executed for espionage, continues to fascinate historians.

  • Many people study the legacy of Margarete Gertrud Zelle to understand her role in wartime espionage.

Synonyms

Mata Hari
vsMargarete Gertrud Zelle
  • NSFW
3 9.8

A Dutch dancer executed as a German spy in World War I, used to mean a seductive woman spy

is the person's full name rather than the stage name used as a stereotype

Surface Forms

Margarete Gertrud Zelle main

Morphology

Margarete + Gertrud + Zelle

This string is a personal name referring to a specific historical person (Mata Hari); the individual name parts do not encode the biographical meaning (dancer, courtesan, accused spy, executed). Personal names are arbitrarily assigned and cross-linguistically do not transparently convey such factual information, so knowing the constituents would not allow a B1 learner to infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Margarete Gertrud Zelle was the real name of a Dutch dancer who performed as Mata Hari. She became famous for exotic dances and was later accused of 'espionage' and executed, so her name now brings to mind a mysterious, glamorous female 'spy'.