Zuider Zee
- noun
:
Zuyder Zee
- The famous Dutch flood control projects began with the closing of the Zuider Zee in 1932.
Examples
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Much of the land that was once submerged under the Zuider Zee is now used for farming.
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The Zuider Zee was an important area for fishing.
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After the Zuider Zee was sealed off, new towns were established on the reclaimed land.
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Many tourists visit the Zuider Zee every summer.
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After the Zuider Zee was sealed off, new towns were established on the reclaimed land.
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Much of the land that was once submerged under the Zuider Zee is now used for farming.
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The famous Dutch flood control projects began with the closing of the Zuider Zee in 1932.
Synonyms
A large sea inlet in the Netherlands now closed by a dam and called the IJsselmeer
Surface Forms
Morphology
Zuider + Zee
This is a proper name composed of Dutch words (Zuider = southern, Zee = sea) that are not English dictionary items; a learner who somehow knew the constituents could infer a literal sense like 'southern sea' but would not be able to derive the specific historical/geographical referent (a former inlet sealed by a dam in 1932). Because the parts give some transparent semantic cue but do not yield the full, language-specific encyclopedic meaning, the expression is only partially transparent.
Etymology
Zuider Zee comes from old Dutch words Zuider and Zee, which mean 'southern' and 'sea'. People called that sea area the 'south sea' because it lay to the south of many coastal towns, and that's why the name refers to the former sea that was closed off by a dam in 1932 and turned into the lake called the IJsselmeer.
