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Round Table

Round Table

7 6.5
A large round table in stories about King Arthur where knights sit as equals
  • noun
  • /ˈraʊnd ˈteɪbəl/
  • Literature
translation icon : Mesa Redonda
  • The legend says that every knight who sits at the Round Table is treated with equal respect.

Examples

Synonyms

King Arthur's Round Table
vsRound Table
  • Literature
7.0

A round table where King Arthur and his knights sat as equals

has identical meaning but is a shorter, more general name

Surface Forms

Round Table singular
Round Tables plural

Morphology

round + table

A B1 learner who knows 'round' and 'table' will readily infer a literal circular table or a meeting around such a table (the compositional, physical sense is transparent). However, the specific Arthurian reference and the conventional symbolic meaning of equality/knightly council are culturally specific and not fully predictable from the constituents alone, so the full MWE sense goes beyond simple composition.

Etymology

Round Table comes from the image of a large round table in King Arthur's stories where no one sat at the head, so every knight had the same place. That's why today 'Round Table' can mean a meeting where everyone has an 'equal voice'.