Thomas à Kempis

9.9

A German-Dutch religious writer and monk who wrote The Imitation of Christ

proper noun

: Tomás de Kempis

Did you know that Thomas à Kempis wrote 'The Imitation of Christ'?

Examples

Scholars regard Thomas à Kempis as one of the most important authors of Christian devotional literature.
The teachings of Thomas à Kempis continue to inspire readers around the world.
Many spiritual writers have been influenced by Thomas à Kempis and his works.
Many people admire Thomas à Kempis for his spiritual insights.
Many spiritual writers have been influenced by Thomas à Kempis and his works.
Scholars regard Thomas à Kempis as one of the most important authors of Christian devotional literature.
The teachings of Thomas à Kempis continue to inspire readers around the world.

Surface Forms

Thomas à Kempis main

Morphology

Thomas + à + Kempis

This is a personal name rather than a compositional phrase: knowing 'Thomas' (a given name), 'à' (a preposition in some languages), and 'Kempis' (a surname) does not allow a learner to infer the referent is a 15th‑century religious writer or author of The Imitation of Christ. Proper names are arbitrary and not semantically built from their parts, so the meaning is not derivable from the constituents.

Etymology

Thomas à Kempis means 'Thomas from Kempen', the town where he was born. He was a monk who wrote the famous book 'The Imitation of Christ', so his name now stands for simple, personal Christian teaching.