Charles de Gaulle

5 5.9

A French general and politician who led Free French forces in World War II and later became President of France

proper noun
/ˈʃɑrlz də ɡoʊ/

: Charles de Gaulle

Charles de Gaulle airport

Examples

I arrived at Charles de Gaulle, checked in, and was told that I had an overweight bag.

Blog text (31)
Air France flies daily into St. Martin from Charles de Gaulle International Airport (CDG).

Blog text (31)
During World War II, Charles de Gaulle emerged as a prominent leader of the Free French forces.
As President of France, Charles de Gaulle implemented significant reforms that shaped modern French politics.
Charles de Gaulle's legacy includes establishing the Fifth Republic and strengthening France's global presence.

Synonyms

de Gaulle

vsCharles de Gaulle

11 7.5

French general and leader who led the Free French in World War II and later became president of France

is the full personal name rather than the short surname form

General de Gaulle

vsCharles de Gaulle

1 5.8

A French army leader and later president who led the Free French forces in World War II

is the personal name form rather than a titled version

CDG

vsCharles de Gaulle

1 7.2

A French general and statesman who led France in World War II

is the full personal name written in normal words rather than shortened

Surface Forms

Charles de Gaulle main

Morphology

Charles + de + Gaulle

This is a referential proper name for a specific historical figure, so its meaning (a French general and statesman) is not compositionally built from the parts. While knowing 'de' might hint at a French name, a B1 learner who only knows the constituent words would not be able to infer his identity or historical role without prior cultural or encyclopedic knowledge.

Etymology

Charles de Gaulle was a French general who led the Free French during World War II and later became president of France. Because he fought to keep France free and helped rebuild the country, his name now stands for 'leadership' and 'national pride'.