Giovanni da Verrazano
1
9.6
- proper noun
- The Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge in New York is named after Giovanni da Verrazano in honor of his achievements.
Examples
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Giovanni da Verrazano was the first European to enter New York Bay and explore its surroundings.
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Many historians credit Giovanni da Verrazano with opening the way for later French exploration in North America.
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Giovanni da Verrazano explored the eastern coast of North America.
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Did Giovanni da Verrazano discover New York Harbor?
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Giovanni da Verrazano was the first European explorer to chart the eastern coast of North America.
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Many people admire Giovanni da Verrazano for his contributions to early American exploration.
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Giovanni da Verrazano sailed under the French flag during his expeditions along the Atlantic coast.
Synonyms
3
9.9
A sailor from Florence who explored the east coast of North America in the early 1500s
1
9.9
An Italian explorer from Florence who explored the east coast of North America in the early 1500s
Surface Forms
Morphology
Giovanni + da + Verrazano
This item is a proper name referring to a historical person, and the specific meaning 'Italian explorer and navigator' cannot be derived from the name's parts. The constituents are names or non-English elements (e.g. 'Giovanni', 'da', 'Verrazano') rather than descriptive words, so a B1 learner who knows the parts would not predict the occupational/historical information.
Etymology
Giovanni da Verrazano has da that means 'from', so the name says 'Giovanni from Verrazano' and points to his Italian origin. He was a sailor who sailed into New York Bay and along the east coast, so imagine him at the ship's bow looking at new land, and that is why places like the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge are named for him.