Wake Island

3 6.9

A small island in the western Pacific between Guam and Hawaii that is controlled by the United States

proper noun
/weɪk ˈaɪlənd/

: isla Wake

Flights over the Pacific often use Wake Island as a refueling stop.

Examples

During World War II, fierce battles were fought over Wake Island.
The U.S. maintains a military base on Wake Island for strategic purposes.
I visited Wake Island last summer.
Have you ever been to Wake Island?
During World War II, fierce battles were fought over Wake Island.
Flights over the Pacific often use Wake Island as a refueling stop.
The U.S. maintains a military base on Wake Island for strategic purposes.

Surface Forms

Wake Island main

Morphology

Wake + island

This is a place name formed by a proper name + the noun 'island', so a B1 learner who knows 'island' will readily understand it refers to an island called 'Wake'. While they cannot infer the precise location or administrative details from the constituents, the basic meaning 'an island named Wake' is directly compositional and cross-linguistically familiar.

Etymology

Wake Island may come from an English sea captain named Wake who spotted the small island while sailing long ago. Because it stood alone in the middle of the Pacific, the name stuck, and today Wake Island means that small U.S.-controlled island used as a refueling stop and military base.