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Glite Dictionary
William Penn

William Penn

3.8
An English Quaker who founded the colony of Pennsylvania
  • proper noun
translation icon : William Penn
  • The ideals of William Penn had a lasting impact on religious tolerance in America.

Examples

  • William Penn established Pennsylvania as a place of religious freedom for Quakers and others.

  • Many American cities still honor William Penn with statues and street names.

  • Wow! William Penn really changed the course of history!

  • William Penn was a visionary.

  • The English Quaker William Penn founded Pennsylvania as a refuge for those seeking religious freedom.

  • In the 17th century, William Penn promoted democracy and fair treatment of Native Americans in his colony.

  • The vision of William Penn for Pennsylvania included a government that respected individual liberties.

Synonyms

Penn
vsWilliam Penn
45 6.0

An English Quaker who founded the colony of Pennsylvania in 1681

is the full personal name form rather than the shorter form

Surface Forms

William Penn main

Morphology

William + Penn

This is a proper name referring to a specific historical person; knowing the constituents 'William' (a given name) and 'Penn' (a surname) does not enable a B1 learner to infer the biographical meaning 'English Quaker and founder of Pennsylvania.' Proper names are referential and arbitrary rather than compositional, so the meaning must be learned from exposure or background knowledge.

Etymology

William Penn was an English Quaker who founded the American colony of Pennsylvania. Picture him walking in the many woods that gave the colony its name, 'Penn's woods'. He promised 'religious freedom', so his name is connected to the creation of the colony and to the idea of tolerance today.