Bill Gates
67
1.0
- proper noun
- /bɪl ɡeɪts/
- Microsoft's ownership, by contrast, is still dominated by its chairman and founder, Bill Gates.
- Microsoft chairman Bill Gates
Examples
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Microsoft founder and Chairman Bill Gates has made an appearance in the latest video for Windows 8.
Blog text (2) -
Born in the US, Bill Gates bought the DOS operating system for a measly 50 thousand.
Blog text (2) -
Also, billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates talks about what's wrong with American education; he plans to help fix it.
Blog text (29) -
E-mails revealed Microsoft chairman Bill Gates' unguarded opinion on Netscape.
Academic text (2002) -
At a recent conference, Bill Gates shared his insights on technology and philanthropy.
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Many people admire Bill Gates not only for his wealth but also for his charitable work.
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In interviews, Bill Gates often discusses the importance of innovation in improving education.
Surface Forms
Morphology
Bill + Gates
This is a proper name whose referent (the Microsoft co‑founder and philanthropist) cannot be derived from the literal meanings of 'Bill' and 'Gates'; knowing the common words does not reveal the identity, role, or biography. Proper names are arbitrary labels for individuals and are therefore non‑compositional and unpredictable for B1 learners who have not been exposed to this person.
Etymology
Bill Gates comes from a simple nickname and an old family name: Bill is a short form of William, and Gates originally meant people who lived near a gate. Today Bill Gates is the famous man who co-founded 'Microsoft' and is known for his work in computers and charity.