Geoffrey of Monmouth

1 9.9

A Welsh writer around 1100 who wrote stories about Britain's kings including King Arthur

proper noun

: Geoffrey de Monmouth

Many historians debate the accuracy of Geoffrey of Monmouth's account of early British kings.

Examples

Geoffrey of Monmouth played a pivotal role in shaping the modern Arthurian legend.
The tales of King Arthur would not be the same without Geoffrey of Monmouth's influential writings.
Did Geoffrey of Monmouth really write about King Arthur?
What influence did Geoffrey of Monmouth have on literature?
Geoffrey of Monmouth played a pivotal role in shaping the modern Arthurian legend.
Many historians debate the accuracy of Geoffrey of Monmouth's account of early British kings.
The tales of King Arthur would not be the same without Geoffrey of Monmouth's influential writings.

Surface Forms

Geoffrey of Monmouth main

Morphology

Geoffrey + of + Monmouth

The string is a proper name; knowing 'Geoffrey' + 'of' + 'Monmouth' might let a learner infer 'a person called Geoffrey from Monmouth', but it does not allow them to derive the specific historical identity or role (a 12th-century Welsh chronicler linked to Arthurian legend). Proper names are referential and arbitrary, so the detailed meaning cannot be predicted from the constituents.

Etymology

Geoffrey of Monmouth was a writer from the town of Monmouth who wrote a dramatic book about Britain's kings and added new stories about King Arthur. He was like a storyteller who mixed fact and invention, so his work helped create the 'Arthurian legend' but is 'not reliable history'.