Tom Paine
1
7.0
- proper noun
- /tɑm peɪn/
- Tom Paine wrote influential pamphlets that inspired American colonists to seek independence.
Examples
-
Many historians credit Tom Paine with helping to shape modern democratic ideas.
-
The writings of Tom Paine inspired many revolutionaries.
-
Several museums feature exhibits dedicated to the life of Tom Paine.
-
Did Tom Paine really influence the French Revolution?
-
Tom Paine wrote influential pamphlets that inspired American colonists to seek independence.
-
Many historians credit Tom Paine with helping to shape modern democratic ideas.
-
Several museums feature exhibits dedicated to the life of Tom Paine.
Synonyms
12
6.7
English-born writer whose pamphlets helped start the American and French revolutions
6
6.0
An English-born writer and political thinker who supported the American and French revolutions
Surface Forms
Morphology
Tom + Paine
This is a proper name referring to a specific historical person; the biographical meaning (an English-born American political activist and writer) is not compositionally derived from the parts 'Tom' and 'Paine'. Proper nouns are arbitrary referents rather than semantic compounds, so knowing the individual name elements does not allow a B1 learner to infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Tom Paine was a writer born in England who used short, powerful pamphlets to tell colonists they should run their own country. His best-known pamphlet, Common Sense, helped 'inspire' people to join the 'American Revolution', so we remember him as a voice for independence.