William Herschel
2
6.2
- proper noun
- The famous astronomer William Herschel discovered the planet Uranus.
- English astronomer William Herschel
- astronomer William Herschel
- Sir William Herschel
Examples
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In 1783, English astronomer William Herschel looked at more than a dozen stars to see how they moved.
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Did William Herschel really discover infrared radiation?
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William Herschel and his sister Caroline made significant contributions to astronomy.
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William Herschel was the first to identify the planet Uranus in 1781.
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The discovery of infrared radiation is credited to William Herschel.
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On March 13, 1781, German-born English astronomer William Herschel discovered Uranus from his garden in Bath, England.
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Did you know that English astronomer William Herschel, who found the seventh planet, Uranus, also discovered infrared radiation?
Surface Forms
Morphology
William + Herschel
This is a proper name rather than a compositional phrase: knowing the constituent words 'William' (a given name) and 'Herschel' (a surname) does not allow a learner to infer that the referent was an English astronomer who discovered Uranus. The information is factual/world knowledge rather than derivable from the parts, so a B1 learner would not deduce the meaning from the constituents alone.
Etymology
William Herschel was an 18th-century astronomer who built big, home-made telescopes and pointed them at the night sky to 'discover' Uranus, the first planet found by a person. He also found invisible heat beyond red light, so his name is remembered for important discoveries about stars and light.