1. Benjamin Franklin, an American statesman, inventor, and writer who lived from 17
1.proper nounB1
Definition
Benjamin Franklin, an American statesman, inventor, and writer who lived from 1706 to 1790 and played a key role in the early years of the United States.
Example
Joon read about Benjamin Franklin's role in drafting the American Declaration of Independence.
The history professor explained that Benjamin Franklin also invented the lightning rod and bifocal glasses.
Benjamin Franklin: founding father, inventor, writer
A statue of Benjamin Franklin stands in front of his museum in Philadelphia.
Benjamin Franklin once wrote that time is money, a saying still quoted in business schools today.
2. Sir John Franklin, an English naval officer and explorer who lived from 1786 to
2.proper nounB2
Definition
Sir John Franklin, an English naval officer and explorer who lived from 1786 to 1847 and led expeditions to map the Arctic region of Canada.
Example
Shirin wrote a report about Sir John Franklin's lost expedition to find the Northwest Passage.
Sir John Franklin: English Arctic explorer
The museum exhibit displayed relics recovered from Sir John Franklin's doomed ships.
Sir John Franklin's disappearance led to decades of search missions in the Arctic.
Historians still debate what caused the deaths of Sir John Franklin and his crew.
3. Rosalind Franklin, an English biophysicist who lived from 1920 to 1958 and whose
3.proper nounB2
Definition
Rosalind Franklin, an English biophysicist who lived from 1920 to 1958 and whose X-ray diffraction images were essential to discovering the double-helix structure of DNA.
Example
Luca learned that Rosalind Franklin's X-ray images helped reveal the shape of the DNA molecule.
Rosalind Franklin: DNA structure discovery
The biology teacher explained how Rosalind Franklin's data was used without her full knowledge.
A Cambridge University lab is named after Rosalind Franklin to honor her work.
Rosalind Franklin published important papers on the structure of coal and carbon before studying DNA.
4. Aretha Franklin, a legendary American singer who lived from 1942 to 2018 and is
4.proper nounB1
Definition
Aretha Franklin, a legendary American singer who lived from 1942 to 2018 and is known for her powerful voice and iconic soul, gospel, and R&B songs.
Example
Tamar played Aretha Franklin's song Respect at the school talent show.
Aretha Franklin: legendary soul singer
The music critic called Aretha Franklin the greatest voice of her generation.
Aretha Franklin won eighteen Grammy Awards during her long music career.
In the 1960s, Aretha Franklin rose to fame with songs about love and equality.
5. A city in east central Massachusetts, located about thirty miles southwest of Bo
5.proper nounB1
Definition
A city in east central Massachusetts, located about thirty miles southwest of Boston, with a population of around thirty-two thousand.
Example
Obi's family moved to Franklin, Massachusetts, for the good schools and quiet streets.
Franklin, Massachusetts: city near Boston
The commuter train from Franklin, Massachusetts, reaches downtown Boston in about forty minutes.
Franklin, Massachusetts, was named after Benjamin Franklin in the late eighteenth century.
The public library in Franklin, Massachusetts, is one of the oldest in the state.
6. A town in central Tennessee, located just south of Nashville, with a population
6.proper nounB1
Definition
A town in central Tennessee, located just south of Nashville, with a population of around sixty-two thousand, known for its historic Civil War battlefields.
Example
Diya visited the Civil War battlefield in Franklin, Tennessee, during her summer trip.
Franklin, Tennessee: historic Civil War town
The music festival in Franklin, Tennessee, draws thousands of visitors every autumn.
The annual pumpkin festival in Franklin, Tennessee, attracts families from across the region.
Many people commute from Franklin, Tennessee, to their jobs in Nashville every morning.
7. A city in southeastern Wisconsin, located about twenty minutes southwest of Milw
7.proper nounB1
Definition
A city in southeastern Wisconsin, located about twenty minutes southwest of Milwaukee, with a population of around thirty-five thousand.
Example
Maeve works at a hospital in Franklin, Wisconsin, just southwest of downtown Milwaukee.
Franklin, Wisconsin: Milwaukee suburb
The park in Franklin, Wisconsin, has a large lake where families go fishing on weekends.
Franklin, Wisconsin, has several large parks with walking trails and sports fields.
The school district in Franklin, Wisconsin, is known for its music and art programs.
8. A former administrative district in northern Canada, covering the Arctic islands
8.proper nounC1
Definition
A former administrative district in northern Canada, covering the Arctic islands and parts of the mainland including the Boothia and Melville peninsulas, now divided between Nunavut and the Northwest Territories.
Example
Christopher studied a map of the old Franklin District, which covered most of Canada's Arctic islands.
Franklin District: former Canadian Arctic region
The Franklin District was dissolved in 1999 when Nunavut was created from the Northwest Territories.
Explorers in the Franklin District faced extreme cold and months of darkness during winter.
The name Franklin District honored Sir John Franklin, the lost Arctic explorer.
franklin — noun
1. In medieval England, a franklin was a free person who owned land and property bu
1.nounC1
Definition
In medieval England, a franklin was a free person who owned land and property but did not belong to the aristocratic class of knights or lords.
Example
In Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, the franklin is a wealthy landowner who loves food and company.
franklin: medieval free landowner, not nobility
In fourteenth-century England, a franklin could serve as a local judge but not as a lord.
The franklin class in England slowly disappeared as the feudal system changed after the 1400s.
A franklin could afford a fine wool cloak and a good horse, showing he had wealth.
All four terms describe medieval English landowners, but they differ in status and wealth. A franklin was a free landowner of comfortable means who did not belong to the nobility — typically a step above a yeoman, who owned a smaller farm and worked it himself. A freeholder is a broader legal term for anyone who owns land outright, regardless of social class, and it is still used in modern property law. A squire was a young nobleman training for knighthood or, later, a country gentleman who ranked above a franklin. In practice, Chaucer's franklin enjoyed a lifestyle closer to that of a minor gentleman than to a working farmer: he served as a local magistrate, kept a fine table, and was respected in his community. If you are reading medieval literature, franklin and yeoman are the terms most likely to appear.
The word franklin comes from the medieval Latin 'francus', meaning 'free', combined with an Old English suffix '-ling' that indicates a person of a certain type or status. In medieval England, a franklin was literally a 'free person' — a landowner who held property without owing service to a lord. The personal name Franklin, used as a surname, originally referred to someone of this social class before becoming associated with famous individuals like Benjamin Franklin and Aretha Franklin.