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Glite Dictionary
Great Elector

Great Elector

1 9.9
A ruler of Brandenburg in the 1600s who rebuilt and strengthened his lands after a long war
  • proper noun
  • Formal
: Gran Elector
  • The Great Elector modernized his army and centralized government power in Brandenburg.

Examples

  • The Great Elector transformed Brandenburg into a powerful state.

  • The reforms carried out by the Great Elector had lasting effects on European politics.

  • Historians often credit the Great Elector with laying the foundations for the future Kingdom of Prussia.

  • Did the Great Elector influence the outcome of the war?

  • Historians often credit the Great Elector with laying the foundations for the future Kingdom of Prussia.

  • The Great Elector modernized his army and centralized government power in Brandenburg.

  • The reforms carried out by the Great Elector had lasting effects on European politics.

Surface Forms

Great Elector main

Morphology

great + Elector

The phrase is compositionally transparent in that a B1 learner who knows 'great' and 'elector' can infer 'an elector of major importance' or a prominent voting prince. However, the full meaning — a specific historical title referring to Frederick William of Brandenburg and its historical-political implications — requires background knowledge, so the expression is only partially predictable from its parts.

Etymology

Great Elector was the title given to Frederick William, the ruler called an elector of Brandenburg who rebuilt and strengthened his lands after a long war. People called him 'great' because his work—improving the army and making the government stronger—made the state much more powerful, so the name came to mean a very successful, strong leader.