Martin Luther King Day
4
2.0
- noun
- /ˈmɑrtɪn ˈluːθər kɪŋ deɪ/
- US
:
Día de Martin Luther King
- To reach the state minimum of 180 school days, it's already gotten creative with its schedule, turning Martin Luther King Day and Presidents Day into school days.
- celebrate Martin Luther King Day
- Martin Luther King Day commemoration
- Today is Martin Luther King Day
Examples
-
Another celebrated Martin Luther King Day with videos from King's 1965 appearances on Meet the Press, then asked the question, "What are you doing on your day of service?"
Blog text (6) -
There was no school because it was Martin Luther King Day.
Fiction book (2002) -
Could this be the man we celebrate on Martin Luther King Day?
Academic text (2003) -
He began by regaling his audience with several humorous stories, then noted the purpose of Martin Luther King Day: "... that we take one day a year to remember that we have to live by the spirit and letter of the Constitution of the United States."
Academic text (1996) -
And I look at this like Alabama and one other state are not only only honoring Martin Luther King Day today, they're also honoring Robert E Lee.
-
It could be seen in remarks at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Annual Commemorative Service held on Martin Luther King Day, 1996, at the Ebenezer Baptist.
Academic text (1996) -
Schools are closed on Martin Luther King Day to honor the legacy of the civil rights leader.
-
Many people volunteer their time on Martin Luther King Day as part of a national day of service.
-
Communities organize parades and events every year on Martin Luther King Day to celebrate his contributions.
Synonyms
A United States holiday to honor Martin Luther King Jr held on a Monday near January 15
Surface Forms
Morphology
The structure name + Day makes it fairly clear that this is a commemorative day associated with the person Martin Luther King (the pattern “X Day” to mark/celebrate someone or something is cross-linguistically common), so learners who recognize the name can infer it marks a day for that person. However, the full cultural meaning (a U.S. public holiday honoring a civil-rights leader and its date/status) and that ‘King’ here is part of a proper name rather than the literal title are not derivable from the constituent words alone, so background knowledge is required.
Etymology
Martin Luther King Day began after the civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. was killed, when many people wanted a special day to remember his fight for equal rights. That's why the United States sets aside the third Monday in January as a public holiday with parades and volunteer work to 'remember' his life and work.