Giovanni da Verrazzano
1
9.9
- proper noun
- /dʒoʊˈvɑːni də vɛrəˈzɑːnoʊ/
- Many historians credit Giovanni da Verrazzano with being the first European to enter New York Bay.
Examples
-
The Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge is named in honor of Giovanni da Verrazzano and his exploration.
-
Giovanni da Verrazzano mapped much of the Atlantic coast in the early 16th century.
-
The famous explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano sailed along the coast of North America.
-
Did Giovanni da Verrazzano discover New York Harbor?
-
Giovanni da Verrazzano is remembered for his voyages along the eastern coast of North America during the early 1500s.
-
In 1524, Giovanni da Verrazzano became the first European to explore the waters that would become New York Harbor.
-
Many landmarks, including the bridge, are named after Giovanni da Verrazzano, highlighting his contributions to exploration.
Synonyms
3
9.9
A sailor from Florence who explored the east coast of North America in the early 1500s
1
9.6
An Italian explorer who sailed along the east coast of North America
Surface Forms
Morphology
Giovanni + da + Verrazzano
This is a proper name composed of personal and family-name elements (and a foreign particle); knowing the literal constituents does not tell a learner that this refers to an Italian explorer from the 16th century. Proper nouns are arbitrary labels and do not transparently encode biographical or occupational information, so the meaning cannot be derived from the parts. Therefore a B1 learner who only knows the constituent words would not infer the MWE's definition.
Etymology
Giovanni da Verrazzano was an Italian sea captain from Florence who sailed along the east coast of North America in the early 1500s and is thought to have been the first European to enter 'New York Bay'. People remembered his name because he explored new places, so today important sites like the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge are named after him.