Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
Kwajalein Atoll

Kwajalein Atoll

9.6
A ring of small coral islands in the western Marshall Islands that hosts a major United States military base
  • proper noun
  • /kwɑːdʒəˈleɪn əˈtɔl/
translation icon : Atolón de Kwajalein
  • Today, Kwajalein Atoll hosts an important U.S. military installation and radar site.

Examples

  • The United States captured Kwajalein Atoll from Japanese forces in 1944.

  • Researchers studied coral reefs around Kwajalein Atoll to assess environmental changes.

  • The Kwajalein Atoll is a crucial military base.

  • During World War II, the Kwajalein Atoll served as a significant Japanese base.

  • The United States captured Kwajalein Atoll from Japanese forces in 1944.

  • Today, Kwajalein Atoll hosts an important U.S. military installation and radar site.

  • During World War II, the Kwajalein Atoll served as a significant Japanese base.

Synonyms

Kwajalein
vsKwajalein Atoll
1 9.9

An atoll in the Marshall Islands known for being a Japanese base and a major World War II battle site

stresses continuing strategic importance and western location rather than focusing on the battle

Surface Forms

Kwajalein Atoll main

Morphology

Kwajalein + atoll

The expression is a straightforward place-name composed of a proper name plus a geographic noun: if a learner knows 'Kwajalein' as a name and 'atoll' as a coral island with a lagoon, they will understand this refers to an atoll called Kwajalein. Historical or strategic details in the full definition are not derivable from the constituents, but the core locational meaning is fully compositional and cross-linguistically transparent.

Etymology

The name Kwajalein Atoll combines a local Marshallese place name and the word atoll, which means a ring of small islands around a shallow 'lagoon'. That clear picture of a ring of islands is why Kwajalein Atoll refers to the large, ring-shaped group of islands in the Marshall Islands and to the well-known military base there.