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Norwegian Sea

Norwegian Sea

3.6
Part of the North Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Norway north of the North Sea
  • proper noun
translation icon : mar de Noruega
  • Strong currents in the Norwegian Sea influence the climate of northern Europe.

Examples

  • The Norwegian Sea is known for its stunning fjords.

  • The stormy weather made sailing across the Norwegian Sea particularly challenging.

  • During their expedition, the crew encountered rough weather in the Norwegian Sea.

  • The Norwegian Sea is known for its rich marine biodiversity, attracting researchers from around the world.

  • Many fishermen work in the Norwegian Sea.

  • The fishermen often set out at dawn to catch cod in the Norwegian Sea.

  • Many species of whales can be seen migrating through the Norwegian Sea each summer.

Surface Forms

Morphology

Norwegian + sea

The meaning is directly compositional: 'Norwegian' specifies nationality/pertaining to Norway and 'sea' denotes a large body of saltwater, so a learner can infer it is the sea associated with Norway. This is a common naming pattern for geographical proper names (e.g., 'Baltic Sea', 'Mediterranean Sea') and is cross-linguistically transparent, so a B1 learner who knows both words will understand the basic meaning.

Etymology

Norwegian Sea comes from the simple idea of Norwegian (from Norway) plus sea: sailors and mapmakers called the waters 'the sea near Norway', especially the area north of the North Sea. So the name today still tells you that this part of the Atlantic is the sea by Norway.