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Joan Sutherland

Joan Sutherland

1 6.7
An Australian opera singer famous for a powerful voice and bel canto roles
  • proper noun
: Joan Sutherland
  • Many critics consider Joan Sutherland one of the greatest sopranos of the twentieth century.

Examples

  • Many consider Joan Sutherland the greatest soprano of her time.

  • The audience cheered wildly after Joan Sutherland's performance in "Lucia di Lammermoor".

  • Joan Sutherland was often praised for the clarity and range of her voice.

  • Joan Sutherland was a legendary soprano.

  • Joan Sutherland was often praised for the clarity and range of her voice.

  • Many critics consider Joan Sutherland one of the greatest sopranos of the twentieth century.

  • The audience cheered wildly after Joan Sutherland's performance in "Lucia di Lammermoor."

Synonyms

Dame Joan Sutherland
vsJoan Sutherland
1 8.6

An Australian soprano known for her powerful high voice

has identical meaning but without the honorific title

Surface Forms

Morphology

Joan + Sutherland

This is a proper name referring to a specific person; knowing the constituents 'Joan' and 'Sutherland' (both names without independent lexical meanings) does not allow a learner to infer that the referent is an Australian operatic soprano. The information is encyclopedic/world knowledge rather than compositional, so it is not derivable from the parts.

Etymology

Joan Sutherland is the name of an Australian opera singer famous for a very powerful, clear high voice. Critics called her 'La Stupenda' because her singing sounded effortless and brilliant, so today her name helps people think of a top bel canto soprano.