Sir William Gilbert
- proper noun
- Sir William Gilbert wrote the librettos for some of the most beloved comic operas in English history.
Examples
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The legacy of Sir William Gilbert endures through countless performances of Gilbert and Sullivan operettas.
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Many students studied the witty lyrics of Sir William Gilbert during their literature exams.
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The works of Sir William Gilbert are still popular today.
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Did Sir William Gilbert really write all those operettas?
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Sir William Gilbert collaborated with Sir Arthur Sullivan to create iconic comic operettas that are still celebrated today.
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Students often perform works by Sir William Gilbert in theater classes, showcasing his clever storytelling.
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The partnership between Sir William Gilbert and Sir Arthur Sullivan revolutionized the genre of comic opera in the late 19th century.
Synonyms
1
7.9
An English writer who wrote the words for comic operas with Arthur Sullivan
An English writer who wrote the words for comic operas with composer Arthur Sullivan
Surface Forms
Morphology
Sir + William + Gilbert
This item is a proper name; knowing the constituents ('Sir' as an honorific and the names 'William' and 'Gilbert') does not allow a learner to infer the biographical/occupational information that he was an English librettist who collaborated with Sullivan. While 'Sir' signals a title, the specific identity and role are encyclopedic knowledge rather than compositional meaning, so the expression is not derivable from its parts.
Etymology
Sir William Gilbert was an English writer who wrote the words, the 'librettos', for many funny musical plays with a composer named Arthur Sullivan. Picture him at a small desk inventing clever rhymes and silly characters, and that image is why his name now reminds people of 'witty comic operettas'.