Samuel Houston

1 6.8

A 19th-century American politician and soldier who helped Texas become independent and join the United States

proper noun
/ˈsæm.ju.əl ˈhuː.stən/

: Samuel Houston

Samuel Houston served as the first president of the Republic of Texas.

Examples

Samuel Houston was a key figure in the history of Texas's independence from Mexico.
Many schools and cities in Texas are named after Samuel Houston.
The hero of Texas, Samuel Houston, led the fight for independence.
Samuel Houston was a key figure in the Texas Revolution.
Samuel Houston served as the first president of the Republic of Texas.
Samuel Houston was a key figure in the history of Texas's independence from Mexico.
Samuel Houston was a key figure in the Texas Revolution.

Synonyms

Sam Houston

vsSamuel Houston

4 5.5

A United States leader who led Texas to independence from Mexico and became its Republic president

focuses on securing independence and bringing the territory into the United States

Surface Forms

Samuel Houston main

Morphology

Samuel + Houston

This is a proper name referring to a specific historical person; the meaning (a U.S. politician and military leader associated with Texas independence) is not compositional or derivable from the constituents 'Samuel' and 'Houston'. Proper names are largely arbitrary labels across languages, so a B1 learner who only knows the two name-words would not be able to infer the biographical information, making this opaque.

Etymology

Samuel Houston was an American soldier and leader who helped Texas win its 'independence' from Mexico after a sudden win at San Jacinto. That's why many towns, schools, and places are named after him and why people remember him for bringing Texas into the United States.