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Glite Dictionary
Battle of Okinawa

Battle of Okinawa

7.7
A large 1945 fight on Okinawa in World War II where United States troops captured the island from Japan
  • proper noun
  • /ˈbætəl əv oʊkɪˈnɑːwə/
translation icon : Batalla de Okinawa

Examples

  • When the Battle of Okinawa began, Tokusho and Ishimine were placed in the same company of the Blood and Iron Imperial Workers Corps.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • Shortly after the Battle of Okinawa, abnormally large vegetables began to appear, presumably nourished by the countless corpses absorbed into the soil.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • During the Battle of Okinawa, thousands of soldiers fought bravely for control of the island.

  • The Battle of Okinawa marked a significant turning point in the Pacific War during World War II.

  • Many historians consider the Battle of Okinawa to be one of the bloodiest battles in the Pacific theater.

Synonyms

Okinawa campaign
vsBattle of Okinawa
7.9

A series of battles in 1945 when United States forces captured the island of Okinawa from Japan

focuses on one major engagement emphasizing a decisive victory

Surface Forms

Battle of Okinawa main

Morphology

battle + of + Okinawa

The phrase is compositional: 'battle' (a large fight) + 'of' + 'Okinawa' indicates a battle that took place at/on Okinawa, so a learner who knows those words can infer it refers to a conflict at that location. This locative/genitive construction is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner would grasp the general meaning even if they lack the historical specifics.

Etymology

Battle of Okinawa comes from a huge fight on the island Okinawa in 1945, when U.S. forces fought to 'take the island' from Japan. Because the fighting was so large and important, the name now refers to that specific battle that helped bring the war closer to an end.