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Henry Louis Gehrig

Henry Louis Gehrig

1 6.2
An American baseball player famous for his many baseball records and for a disease called ALS
  • proper noun
  • /ˈhɛnri ˈluːɪs ˈɡɛrɪɡ/
: Henry Louis Gehrig
  • Henry Louis Gehrig is remembered not only for his baseball records but also for his courage in battling illness.

Examples

  • The legendary baseball player Henry Louis Gehrig played for the New York Yankees.

  • Many know Henry Louis Gehrig as the 'Iron Horse' of Major League Baseball.

  • The legacy of Henry Louis Gehrig lives on through research into ALS, the disease named after him.

  • Did you know that Henry Louis Gehrig was diagnosed with ALS?

  • Henry Louis Gehrig is celebrated for his impressive achievements in baseball and his brave fight against ALS.

  • Known as the 'Iron Horse', Henry Louis Gehrig set numerous records during his Major League Baseball career.

  • After Henry Louis Gehrig was diagnosed with ALS, he became an inspiration for many people facing similar challenges.

Surface Forms

Morphology

Henry + Louis + Gehrig

This is a personal name referring to a specific individual; the biographical meaning (famous American baseball player and association with ALS) is not derivable from the constituent name parts. Proper names are referential and require cultural/world knowledge rather than compositional lexical understanding, so a B1 learner who only knows the name components would not infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Henry Louis Gehrig was a famous American baseball player nicknamed the 'Iron Horse' because he played many games in a row without resting. Later he was diagnosed with a serious disease that weakens the muscles, and people now call that illness 'Lou Gehrig's disease', so his name reminds us both of the great player and of the illness.