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Robert the Bruce

Robert the Bruce

2 6.7
King of Scotland who leads the Scots to victory over the English at Bannockburn and wins Scotland's freedom
  • proper noun
: Roberto I de Escocia
  • Many people admire Robert the Bruce for his leadership.

Examples

  • This statue honors Robert the Bruce, a symbol of Scotland's fight for independence.

  • Did Robert the Bruce really fight for Scottish independence?

  • Robert the Bruce is remembered as a national hero for leading Scotland to independence.

  • Many Scottish legends and tales celebrate the bravery of Robert the Bruce.

  • The Battle of Bannockburn was a turning point in history, thanks to Robert the Bruce's leadership.

  • The history of Robert the Bruce is often celebrated in Scottish folklore.

  • Many battles were fought under the leadership of Robert the Bruce during his reign.

Surface Forms

Morphology

Robert + the + Bruce

This is a referential proper name: knowing the words 'Robert', 'the' and 'Bruce' does not allow a learner to infer the biographical meaning (King of Scotland, victory at Bannockburn). Proper names are arbitrary labels whose referent-specific information is world knowledge rather than compositional semantics, so the MWE’s meaning is not derivable from its constituents.

Etymology

Robert the Bruce was a Scottish king who led the fight to win Scotland's freedom. One popular story says he hid in a cave after a defeat and watched a spider keep trying to build its web, which gave him the courage to try again and later win, so his name stands for a brave 'leader' who helped win 'freedom'.