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Robert E Lee's Birthday

Robert E Lee's Birthday

9.2
A public holiday on January 19 in some southern US states honoring Confederate general Robert E Lee
  • noun
  • /ˈrɒbərt i liːz ˈbɜrθdeɪ/
  • US
translation icon : Cumpleaños de Robert E. Lee
  • Robert E Lee's Birthday is officially observed on January 19 in some southern U.S. states.

Examples

  • Some schools and government offices close to honor Robert E Lee's Birthday.

  • Many people celebrate Robert E Lee's Birthday with parades.

  • Robert E Lee's Birthday is observed in several southern states as a public holiday each January.

  • Controversy sometimes arises around the celebration of Robert E Lee's Birthday due to its historical associations.

  • Robert E Lee's Birthday is recognized in several southern states.

  • In Virginia, Robert E Lee's Birthday is a public holiday, allowing people to attend commemorative events.

  • Schools in Georgia often have a day off in honor of Robert E Lee's Birthday each year.

Synonyms

January 19
vsRobert E Lee's Birthday
  • US
1 3.9

A day when some southern U.S. states honor the birthday of General Robert E. Lee

has identical meaning but uses a different conventional name for the same holiday
Robert E Lee Day
vsRobert E Lee's Birthday
  • US
8.9

A holiday in some southern United States on January 19 to remember the birth of Confederate General Robert E Lee

has identical meaning but uses a different conventional name for the same holiday
Lee's Birthday
vsRobert E Lee's Birthday
  • US
8.1

A day in January when people in the southern United States remember General Robert E Lee

has identical meaning but uses a different conventional name for the same holiday

Surface Forms

Morphology

Robert + E + Lee's + birthday

The phrase is compositionally clear as 'the birthday of Robert E. Lee' — a learner who knows possessive constructions and the word 'birthday' can derive the literal sense. However, interpreting it as a named public holiday observed in some U.S. states and recognising the historical person (and the political/cultural significance) requires extra world knowledge, so it is not fully transparent.

Etymology

Robert E Lee's Birthday began as a day 'to remember the birth of Confederate General Robert E. Lee' on January 19. So today the name means a public holiday on January 19 in some southern U.S. states, when schools and offices may close.