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Glite Dictionary
USS Constitution

USS Constitution

6.6
An old American warship launched in 1797 and now a museum ship in Boston
  • proper noun
  • /ˌjuːˌɛsˌɛs ˌkɒnstɪˈtuːʃən/
translation icon : USS Constitution
  • As one of the oldest ships still afloat, the USS Constitution attracts many tourists in Boston every year.

Examples

  • Visitors can explore the USS Constitution and learn about its storied past during the War of 1812.

  • The USS Constitution is a famous historic warship that played a significant role in the early naval history of the United States.

  • We have access to the USS Constitution that's in dry docks right now that we're doing this cool history project on.

Synonyms

Constitution
vsUSS Constitution
31 7.2

A 44-gun United States Navy warship launched in 1797 that is now a museum in Boston

is the same ship but presented as the official naval name
Old Ironsides
vsUSS Constitution
8.1

A famous American warship from the War of 1812 now a museum in Boston

is the formal name rather than a colloquial nickname

Surface Forms

USS Constitution main

Morphology

USS + Constitution

If a learner knows 'USS' as the ship prefix 'United States Ship' and recognizes 'Constitution' as the name, they can directly infer this refers to a U.S. naval ship called the Constitution. The expression is a compositional proper-name construction (prefix + name); while historical details are not derivable, the basic referent is transparently given by the constituents.

Etymology

USS Constitution begins with USS, which means 'United States Ship', and the word Constitution was chosen to honor the U.S. Constitution, the country's main set of rules. One popular story says she earned the nickname 'Old Ironsides' when enemy cannonballs seemed to bounce off her sides, so today USS Constitution is known as a famous, well-loved historic warship and national symbol.