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Glite Dictionary
CN Tower

CN Tower

1 2.9
A very tall tower in Toronto, Canada that offers views of the city and Lake Ontario
  • proper noun
: Torre CN
  • That was all about to be tested as I prepared for the EdgeWalk, a 20-30 minute walk, 356 meters (1,168 ft) above Toronto in the famous Canadian landmark, the CN Tower.

Examples

  • Toronto itself has much to offer, including the tall Canadian National Tower (CN Tower), the broad avenues and vistas, the beauty of Union Station, and its very different City Hall.

    Academic text (1999)

  • The CN Tower is an iconic landmark in Toronto, standing 553 meters tall.

  • The top of the CN Tower

    Blog text (29)

  • No facility in the world can compare with the CN Tower.

    Academic text (1999)

  • The Edge of the CN Tower with EdgeWalk

    Blog text (29)

  • As the elevator climbed to the top of the CN Tower, we entered a special room with a door opened to the outside of the tower.

    Blog text (29)

  • One would think that if your morning included a 20-30 minute walk that would require you to hang your entire body over the edge of the CN Tower, you would get a good night's sleep.

    Blog text (29)

  • CN Tower

    Blog text (29)

  • When we arrive back to the mainland (the ferry ride is a short 10-minute trip), we will proceed to the base of the CN Tower and Sky Dome.

    Academic text (1999)

  • We cabbed to the CN Tower, heads pounding, and suited up in red jumpsuits and fighter pilot harnesses, and tried our best to concentrate on the task at hand.

    Blog text (29)

Surface Forms

CN Tower main

Morphology

CN + tower

The headword 'tower' clearly signals a tall structure, so a learner who knows that word would infer the expression refers to a tower. However, 'CN' is an initialism/proper-name element whose referent (Canadian National) and the specific landmark status in Toronto are not predictable from the parts alone, so full meaning requires world knowledge.

Etymology

CN Tower gets its name from the company that built it: CN stands for 'Canadian National', a railway company, and tower means a very tall building. Because that company paid to build a tall structure for radio and TV signals and for visitors to see the city, people began to call the landmark the CN Tower, which is why the name still refers to Toronto's famous tower today.