Nanda Devi
1
7.7
- proper noun
- Climbers from around the world aspire to conquer the heights of Nanda Devi, the second highest mountain in India.
Examples
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For several days, the crew clambered up the face of Nanda Devi as Dr. Schaller cataloged the journey with his camera and diaries.
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But as the team settled in, the sky around Nanda Devi grew dark and restless.
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The peak of Nanda Devi.
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Dr. Schaller on Nanda Devi
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If the CIA kept all the photos and documents, then how did you get the picture above of Dr. Schaller on Nanda Devi?
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In the fall of 1965, a year after the first Chinese nuclear bomb test, the crew of clandestine climbers assembled at the Sanctuary, a natural fortress of Himalayan mountain peaks that surrounded their objective: Nanda Devi.
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In 1936, the British expedition made history by reaching the summit of Nanda Devi for the first time.
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Located in the Himalayas, Nanda Devi is admired not only for its height but also for its breathtaking views.
Surface Forms
Morphology
Nanda + Devi
This is a lexicalized proper name; knowing 'Devi' (a goddess) and an unknown name 'Nanda' does not indicate that the phrase refers to a Himalayan mountain. Proper names rarely encode the referent category (here: a mountain) in a way predictable from their parts, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would not infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Nanda Devi may get its name from the words Nanda (meaning 'joy' or 'delight') and Devi ('goddess'). Long ago, people in the area saw the high peak as a protective mountain goddess watching over the valley, so the mountain was called Nanda Devi and the name shows its sacred status.