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West Point

West Point

31 4.1
An American army school on the west bank of the Hudson River north of New York City
  • proper noun
  • /wɛst pɔɪnt/
translation icon : West Point
  • Many distinguished leaders have graduated from West Point.
  • West Point Military Academy
  • West Point cadets
  • West Point graduate

Who was the Superintendent of West Point when the war broke out?

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Examples

Synonyms

1 4.9

A school at West Point that trains people to be officers in the United States Army

is the physical military installation and grounds housing that institution
US Military Academy
vsWest Point
1 3.5

A school that trains people to be officers in the United States Army, often called West Point

is the physical installation and grounds where the institution is located

Surface Forms

West Point main

Morphology

West + Point

The combination 'West' + 'Point' transparently signals a place (a western point or geographic location), so a B1 learner who knows the words will infer it is a location. However, the specific reference to the United States Military Academy is arbitrary and requires cultural/world knowledge beyond the literal constituents, so the full meaning is not predictable from the parts alone.

Etymology

West Point comes from a simple place name: a point of land on the west bank of the Hudson River where the river turns. Because that high spot was easy to defend, the U.S. Army built a school there, so today West Point means the famous 'army academy'.