Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
President Garfield

President Garfield

1 6.2
A United States president in 1881 who was shot and killed
  • proper noun
: presidente Garfield
  • President Garfield was shot just four months into his presidency.

Examples

  • After President Garfield's death, civil service reform became a national priority.

  • Many historians believe President Garfield had the potential for a remarkable legacy.

  • The assassination of President Garfield shocked the nation.

  • Did President Garfield have any significant achievements during his short term?

  • President Garfield was shot just four months into his presidency.

  • The assassination of President Garfield shocked the nation.

  • After President Garfield's death, civil service reform became a national priority.

Synonyms

Garfield
vsPresident Garfield
19 6.1

The 20th President of the United States who was killed while in office

focuses on his brief 1881 presidency and that he was assassinated

Surface Forms

President Garfield main

Morphology

President + Garfield

The phrase combines the title 'President' with the proper name 'Garfield' to refer to the person named Garfield who holds (or held) the office; this meaning is directly derivable from the constituents. Such title+name constructions are cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both words will understand it denotes a president named Garfield, though detailed historical facts require extra knowledge.

Etymology

President Garfield refers to James A. Garfield, the man who became the 20th President of the United States in 1881 but was shot and died only four months into the job. Because his time in office was so short and tragic, mentioning President Garfield often brings to mind 'a brief or interrupted presidency'.