Laptev Sea

1 7.9

A sea in the Arctic Ocean north of Siberia that is frozen for most of the year

proper noun

: mar de Laptev

The Laptev Sea is often covered by ice, making navigation challenging for much of the year.

Examples

Scientists study the Laptev Sea to monitor changes in Arctic climate patterns.
Many rivers from Siberia flow into the Laptev Sea, influencing its salinity and ecosystem.
The Laptev Sea is known for its harsh climate.
Have you ever visited the Laptev Sea?
Many rivers from Siberia flow into the Laptev Sea, influencing its salinity and ecosystem.
Scientists study the Laptev Sea to monitor changes in Arctic climate patterns.
The Laptev Sea is often covered by ice, making navigation challenging for much of the year.

Surface Forms

Laptev Sea main

Morphology

Laptev + sea

The structure 'Laptev Sea' is compositionally regular (proper name + sea), so a learner who knows 'sea' would understand it denotes a particular sea (a body of saltwater) named Laptev. However, the proper name 'Laptev' carries no transparent semantic information about location or characteristics, so the precise referent (an Arctic marginal sea north of Siberia) is not predictable without prior knowledge.

Etymology

Laptev Sea comes from the Russian explorer Dmitry Laptev, who sailed and mapped the Arctic coast north of Siberia in the 1700s. Because he helped explore that icy 'sea', people named the area after him, so today Laptev Sea means the Arctic sea by Siberia.