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Glite Dictionary
Old Faithful

Old Faithful

3 4.1
A famous geyser in Yellowstone National Park that shoots hot water and steam about every hour
  • proper noun
  • /oʊld ˈfeɪθfəl/
translation icon : Old Faithful
  • Beehive Geyser is also a popular geyser and is located in the Upper Geyser Basin, which is within walking distance from Old Faithful.
  • Old Faithful Geyser
  • tour to Old Faithful

Examples

  • The tours included Oxbow Bend in Grand Teton National Park and Old Faithful.

    Academic text (2009)

  • Half-day tours visit Old Faithful on Sunday morning, Monday afternoon, Wednesday morning, Thursday afternoon, and Saturday morning.

    Academic text (2009)

  • With advance reservations, you can spend the night in the park at the winter facilities at Old Faithful.

    Academic text (1994)

  • Many of us are familiar with "Old Faithful" in Yellowstone National Park.

    Apartment Zero (1989)

  • All-day tours visit the geyser basins and Old Faithful on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday.

    Academic text (2009)

  • Old Faithful is the most famous geyser in Yellowstone because it is somewhat predictable.

    Academic text (2009)

  • Half-day tour destinations include Old Faithful, Midway Geyser Basin, and Firehole Falls.

    Academic text (2009)

  • The project centers on a three-dimensional re-creation of the famed geyser "Old Faithful" and is accessible to the general public through the Web of Worlds site using the Active Worlds VR Web browser.

    Academic text (1997)

  • The tours to Old Faithful, Upper, Lower, and Midway Geyser Basins, Mammoth Hot Springs, and West Thumb visit these world-famous hydrothermal features.

    Academic text (2009)

  • Many tourists flock to Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park to witness its impressive eruptions every 65 minutes.

Surface Forms

Old Faithful main

Morphology

old + faithful

The components 'old' and 'faithful' transparently convey the idea of something longstanding and reliable, so a B1 learner might infer that the referent is dependable or regularly occurring. However, identifying it specifically as the famous Yellowstone geyser (and its eruptive behavior) requires cultural/world knowledge and recognition of a proper name, so the MWE is not fully derivable from its parts.

Etymology

Old Faithful is named for the famous hot spring that shoots hot water into the air at very regular times. People called it old because it has been known for a long time and faithful because its eruptions are so regular, so the name shows it is 'reliable'.