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Glite Dictionary
Gettysburg Address

Gettysburg Address

8 4.7
A short famous speech by Abraham Lincoln at Gettysburg in 1863 to honor soldiers who died
  • noun
  • /ˈɡɛtɪsbɜrɡ əˈdrɛs/
translation icon : Discurso de Gettysburg
  • Many students study the Gettysburg Address to understand its significance in American history.
  • Lincoln's Gettysburg Address

And a letter from George Washington says it's an experiment if you read the Gettysburg Address.

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Examples

  • On November 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln delivered "The Gettysburg Address."

    Blog text (7)

  • Abe Lincoln said some very powerful words in the Gettysburg Address.

    Blog text (22)

  • And on the table is the Gettysburg Address.

    Jackie (2016)

  • At one point, soldiers actually quote the Gettysburg Address to him.

    Blog text (18)

  • The same theme would be sounded in the Gettysburg Address.

    Blog text (17)

  • We've all read the Gettysburg Address, but what does it mean to you?

    Academic text (2011)

  • When I was eleven, I memorized the Gettysburg Address.

    Heavens Fall (2006)

  • In celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Gettysburg Address, they're showcasing different versions of the immortal speech.

    Academic text (2015)

  • Lincoln's Gettysburg Address is a splendid sample of epideictic (ceremonial) oratory.

    Academic text (1997)

  • President Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address during the dedication of the national cemetery on November 19, 1863.

Synonyms

address
vsGettysburg Address
  • Formal
212 5.3

A formal speech given to a group of people

is a specific historic example delivered by a US president at a cemetery dedication

Surface Forms

Gettysburg Address singular
Gettysburg Addresses plural

Morphology

Gettysburg + address

The phrase is compositionally built from the place name 'Gettysburg' and the noun 'address' (speech), so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer it refers to a speech given at Gettysburg. While the historical significance (Lincoln's famous 1863 speech) is not fully recoverable from the parts, the core referential meaning is directly derivable.

Etymology

The Gettysburg Address is the short speech Abraham Lincoln gave at the dedication of a cemetery for soldiers after the big Battle of Gettysburg. Because he used very few words to honor the dead and to explain why the war mattered, the name now means 'a famous, powerful speech'.