Lady Jane Grey

1 9.5

A noblewoman who became queen of England for nine days in 1553 before being executed

proper noun

: Lady Jane Grey

Lady Jane Grey was executed at the Tower of London after just nine days as queen.

Examples

Historians often debate whether Lady Jane Grey was a victim of circumstance or a political pawn.
Queen Lady Jane Grey ruled for only nine days.
There are several paintings depicting Lady Jane Grey in the moments leading up to her execution.
Did Lady Jane Grey really ascend the throne at such a young age?
Lady Jane Grey was executed at the Tower of London after just nine days as queen.
Historians often debate whether Lady Jane Grey was a victim of circumstance or a political pawn.
Queen Lady Jane Grey ruled for only nine days before being deposed.

Synonyms

Grey

vsLady Jane Grey

1 7.4

A young English queen who ruled for nine days in 1553 and was later executed

has identical meaning but is the shorter, more informal single-word form

Surface Forms

Lady Jane Grey main

Morphology

lady + Jane + Grey

This is a personal name referring to a specific historical figure; knowing 'lady' (a woman/noble) and the names 'Jane' and 'Grey' only signals a female person but does not convey the encyclopedic facts that she was briefly Queen of England for nine days and was executed. The referential, world-knowledge meaning cannot be derived from the constituent words, so it is not transparent to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Lady Jane Grey was a woman from an important English family who was made queen for only nine days in 1553 before she was removed and later executed. Because she was put on the throne by powerful people and had no real control, her name now brings to mind a ruler who was a 'puppet' or a 'victim' of politics.