Muammar al-Qaddafi
- proper noun
- /muːˈɑːmɑːr æl ˈkædɑːfi/
- Muammar al-Qaddafi ruled Libya for over four decades until his fall in 2011.
Examples
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The military coup led by Muammar al-Qaddafi in 1969 dramatically changed Libya's political landscape.
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Many world leaders criticized the human rights record of Muammar al-Qaddafi.
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The dictator Muammar al-Qaddafi ruled Libya for over four decades.
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Did Muammar al-Qaddafi really believe in his vision for Libya?
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Muammar al-Qaddafi remained a controversial figure in international politics until his death in 2011.
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During his regime, Muammar al-Qaddafi implemented many socialist reforms that affected the Libyan economy.
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Muammar al-Qaddafi was known for his eccentric speeches and strong stance against Western influence.
Synonyms
A Libyan leader who ruled from 1969 to 2011
A Libyan military leader who ruled the country from 1969 to 2011 after a coup
A Libyan leader who ruled for over four decades after a military takeover in 1969
A Libyan military and political leader who ruled Libya from 1969 to 2011
A Libyan leader who ruled the country from 1969 until 2011
A spelling of the Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's name
Surface Forms
Morphology
Muammar + al-Qaddafi
This item is a proper name (a personal name) whose constituents are not semantically compositional or informative about the referent; knowing the tokens 'Muammar' and 'al-Qaddafi' does not let a learner deduce 'Libyan political leader' or the historical facts. Proper names are arbitrary labels whose referential meaning must be learned from exposure or explanation, so the expression is not transparently derivable from its parts for a B1 learner.
Etymology
Muammar al-Qaddafi may come from Arabic: Muammar means 'long-lived' and al-Qaddafi shows he came from the Qaddafa tribe. So the full name tells you his background, and the 'long-lived' meaning is an easy way to remember him as Libya's long-time leader.