Nikola Tesla

13 5.1

An inventor and engineer who helped create modern electric power

proper noun
/ˈnɪkələ ˈtɛslə/

: Nikola Tesla

The Tesla coil, invented by Nikola Tesla, is still used in radio technology today.

Examples

Did Nikola Tesla really invent the Tesla coil?
Nikola Tesla is widely recognized for his contributions to the development of the modern electrical power system.
Many historians regard Nikola Tesla as one of the most influential inventors of the 19th and 20th centuries.
Many people admire Nikola Tesla for his groundbreaking inventions.
Nikola Tesla developed the alternating current system, which is crucial for transmitting electricity over long distances.
Inventions by Nikola Tesla, such as the induction motor, have greatly advanced electrical engineering.
Nikola Tesla is often celebrated for his visionary ideas that shaped modern electricity usage.

Surface Forms

Nikola Tesla main

Morphology

Nikola + Tesla

This is a proper name referring to a specific historical person; knowing the constituent tokens 'Nikola' and 'Tesla' as names does not let a learner deduce that the phrase denotes a Serbian‑American inventor and engineer. The meaning is lexicalized and must be learned as a single referent rather than composed from its parts, so it is not transparently derivable by a B1 learner.

Etymology

Nikola Tesla was an inventor from Serbia who worked with electricity; one famous picture shows him making big sparks with a Tesla coil that look like lightning. That's why his name now makes people think of 'a brilliant, unusual inventor of new ideas about electricity'.