Savinien Cyrano de Bergerac
1
9.9
- proper noun
- The story of Savinien Cyrano de Bergerac's dueling and wit inspired Edmond Rostand's celebrated play.
Examples
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Many scholars regard Savinien Cyrano de Bergerac as an innovative thinker and a precursor to science fiction.
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Although Savinien Cyrano de Bergerac lived in the seventeenth century, his legend endures through literature and film.
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The famous writer Savinien Cyrano de Bergerac lived during the 17th century.
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Did Savinien Cyrano de Bergerac really exist?
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Although Savinien Cyrano de Bergerac lived in the seventeenth century, his legend endures through literature and film.
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Many scholars regard Savinien Cyrano de Bergerac as an innovative thinker and a precursor to science fiction.
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The story of Savinien Cyrano de Bergerac's dueling and wit inspired Edmond Rostand's celebrated play.
Synonyms
3
9.9
A French soldier and writer now famous as a hero in a play with a very large nose
Surface Forms
Morphology
Savinien + Cyrano + de + Bergerac
This is a proper name (personal + toponym) whose meaning is referential rather than compositional: knowing the parts 'Savinien', 'Cyrano', 'de', and 'Bergerac' (with 'de' = 'of') does not let a learner infer that this refers to a 17th-century French soldier, writer, and duelist. Proper names do not encode biographical roles or historical facts, so the overall referent and its attributes are not derivable from the constituents.
Etymology
Savinien Cyrano de Bergerac was a 17th-century French soldier and writer who fought with a sword and became famous for his quick wit and bold adventures. His life inspired the play 'Cyrano de Bergerac', so today his name makes people think of a brave, clever hero who wins hearts with words.