Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons

4.9

An international group that helps countries destroy chemical weapons and checks they do not make or use them

proper noun

: Organización para la Prohibición de Armas Químicas

The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2013 for its efforts to eliminate chemical arms.

Examples

The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2013 for its efforts to eliminate chemical arms.
The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons regularly inspects facilities to ensure the destruction of chemical stockpiles.
Many countries collaborate with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to comply with international disarmament obligations.
The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2013.
Have you heard about the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons?
Many countries collaborate with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to comply with international disarmament obligations.
The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons regularly inspects facilities to ensure the destruction of chemical stockpiles.

Synonyms

OPCW

vsOrganization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons

1 7.5

An international organization that helps countries destroy chemical weapons and obey the ban

focuses on promoting and verifying compliance rather than on elimination efforts

Surface Forms

Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons main

Morphology

organization + for + the + prohibition + of + chemical + weapon

The name is fully compositional: 'organization' (a collective) + 'for' (purpose) + 'prohibition' (official forbidding) + 'of chemical weapons' (the target) yields an organization whose purpose is to prohibit chemical weapons. Although it is a formal proper name, there is no idiomatic or metaphorical shift, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words can infer the meaning.

Etymology

Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons is a literal name: it joins Organization meaning a group, Prohibition meaning 'ban' or 'stop', and Chemical Weapons meaning weapons made with dangerous chemicals. So the name tells you its job: to help countries stop making and using these weapons and to check they keep that promise.