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Glite Dictionary
Oswald Spengler

Oswald Spengler

1 9.1
A German writer and historian who said societies grow and fall in cycles
  • proper noun
: Oswald Spengler
  • Many scholars reference Oswald Spengler when discussing the rise and fall of civilizations.

Examples

  • The ideas of Oswald Spengler influenced twentieth-century theories of history.

  • She wrote her thesis on the works of Oswald Spengler.

  • Oswald Spengler was a philosopher.

  • The ideas of Oswald Spengler have influenced many thinkers.

  • Many scholars reference Oswald Spengler when discussing the rise and fall of civilizations.

  • The ideas of Oswald Spengler influenced twentieth-century theories of history.

  • She wrote her thesis on the works of Oswald Spengler.

Surface Forms

Oswald Spengler main

Morphology

Oswald + Spengler

This is a proper name made of two personal names, which are arbitrary labels rather than semantically compositional elements. Knowing the constituent names 'Oswald' and 'Spengler' does not allow a B1 learner to infer the person’s profession, dates, or the biographical meaning given, so the expression is not derivable from its parts.

Etymology

Oswald Spengler was a German thinker who compared civilizations to living things that are born, grow, and then die. That's why his name is used when people talk about the 'rise and fall' or the 'life cycle' of a society.