Mary Douglas Leakey

7.5

English scientist who discovered important early human bones in Tanzania

proper noun

: Mary Douglas Leakey

Mary Douglas Leakey uncovered several important fossils at Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania.

Examples

The discovery by Mary Douglas Leakey changed our understanding of early hominids.
Researchers still build on the work initiated by Mary Douglas Leakey in the mid-20th century.
The famous paleontologist Mary Douglas Leakey made significant discoveries in Africa.
Mary Douglas Leakey was instrumental in the field of archaeology.
Mary Douglas Leakey uncovered several important fossils at Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania.
Researchers still build on the work initiated by Mary Douglas Leakey in the mid-20th century.
The famous paleontologist Mary Douglas Leakey made significant discoveries in Africa.

Synonyms

Mary Leakey

vsMary Douglas Leakey

1 7.4

English scientist who found fossil skulls of early humans and helped study human origins

has identical meaning but uses the full formal personal name

Surface Forms

Mary Douglas Leakey main

Morphology

Mary + Douglas + Leakey

This is a proper name composed of personal names; knowing the individual name parts ('Mary', 'Douglas', 'Leakey') does not let a B1 learner infer the referent (an English paleontologist) or her achievements. Proper names are arbitrary labels rather than compositional phrases, so the meaning is not derivable from the constituents.

Etymology

Mary Douglas Leakey was a fossil hunter who dug at Olduvai Gorge and found a famous ancient skull called Zinjanthropus, a discovery that gave a clear picture of very early human life. That's why her name is remembered for big discoveries about 'early humans'.