Kemal Ataturk

1 5.7

Founder and first president of modern Turkey who made government separate from religion

proper noun
/kəˈmɑːl ˈɑːtəˌtɜrk/

: Kemal Atatürk

As a result of Kemal Ataturk's efforts, Turkey adopted a secular system of government.

Examples

Kemal Ataturk introduced sweeping reforms to modernize Turkish society in the early twentieth century.
Did Kemal Ataturk really abolish the caliphate in 1924?
Many students learn about Kemal Ataturk as a key figure in world history classes.
The legacy of Kemal Ataturk continues to influence Turkish politics today.
Kemal Ataturk introduced sweeping reforms to modernize Turkish society in the early twentieth century.
As a result of Kemal Ataturk's efforts, Turkey adopted a secular system of government.
Many students learn about Kemal Ataturk as a key figure in world history classes.

Synonyms

Mustafa Kemal

vsKemal Ataturk

2 7.3

The founder and first president of modern Turkey who made it a secular state

is the surname form used widely to refer to the same leader

Ataturk

vsKemal Ataturk

2 6.3

Last name taken by Mustafa Kemal, founder and first president of modern Turkey

is the full personal name rather than the short adopted surname

Kemal Pasha

vsKemal Ataturk

7.1

Turkish leader who founded modern secular Turkey

is the surname or formal name form rather than a title-based address

Surface Forms

Kemal Ataturk main

Morphology

Kemal + Ataturk

This is a proper name whose biographical meaning (founder and first president of modern Turkey) cannot be derived from the constituent forms. A B1 learner who knows the words as names may infer it refers to a person, but they cannot predict the historical/political role or the specific meaning without prior cultural knowledge.

Etymology

Kemal Ataturk received the surname Ataturk, which means 'Father of the Turks', when Turkey's parliament gave it to him to honor him as the founder of modern Turkey. That's why his name now stands for the man who created modern Turkey.