Tarquin the Proud
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9.9
- proper noun
- Literature
- According to legend, Tarquin the Proud's tyranny led to the rise of Rome's republican government.
Examples
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The Roman Republic was established after Tarquin the Proud was overthrown.
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Tarquin the Proud was expelled from Rome due to his tyranny.
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Stories of Tarquin the Proud have influenced many works of literature and history.
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According to legend, Tarquin the Proud was a ruthless ruler.
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The Roman Republic was established after Tarquin the Proud was overthrown.
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According to legend, Tarquin the Proud's tyranny led to the rise of Rome's republican government.
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According to legend, Tarquin the Proud was a ruthless ruler.
Synonyms
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9.9
A king from legend who was the seventh and last Etruscan ruler of Rome, expelled for cruelty
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9.9
The seventh and last king of ancient Rome who ruled cruelly and was forced to leave
The seventh and last king of Rome who people drove out for being cruel
The last king of Rome who ruled cruelly and lost his throne
Surface Forms
Morphology
As a proper-name epithet, the adjective 'proud' transparently signals a personal trait (i.e., 'Tarquin who is proud' or arrogant), and epithets of this form are cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner knowing 'proud' would infer a character trait. However, the specific historical sense (seventh Etruscan king, known for cruelty and expelled) is not derivable from the constituents, so the MWE is only partially predictable.
Etymology
Tarquin the Proud comes from a Roman legend about the last king of Rome, who ruled with great pride and cruelty. People rose up and drove him out, so his name now stands for a proud, cruel ruler and the end of the kings in Rome.