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Glite Dictionary
Emily Dickinson

Emily Dickinson

15 5.1
An American poet who wrote many short private poems not published while alive
  • proper noun
  • /ˈɛmɪli ˈdɪkɪnsən/
: Emily Dickinson
  • The works of Emily Dickinson have been influential in shaping modern poetry.

Examples

  • Emily Dickinson

    Blog text (30)

  • In 1958, the play "The Belle of Amherst" vividly portrayed the life of Emily Dickinson.

  • Many students are introduced to Emily Dickinson during their literature classes.

Surface Forms

Emily Dickinson main

Morphology

Emily + Dickinson

This is a personal name (proper noun) composed of two given/surnames that carry no compositional lexical meaning; knowing the words 'Emily' and 'Dickinson' does not allow a learner to infer the biographical information or that this refers to a famous American poet. Proper names are arbitrary and must be learned as lexical items, so the MWE's meaning is not derivable from its constituents.

Etymology

Emily Dickinson is the name of an American 'poet' who lived quietly and wrote many short, powerful poems about nature, death, and private feelings. Because her poems use spare lines and strange dashes, her name now brings to mind a quiet, mysterious poetic voice.