Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • A river, about 340 km (210 mi) long, of eastern Germany flowing through Berlin to the Elbe River.
  • Václav,Czech writer and politician. A widely known playwright whose works include The Garden Party (1963) and The Increased Difficulty of Concentration (1968), Havel became a civil rights leader after the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia (1968). He was elected president of Czechoslovakia in 1989 after the collapse of the Communist government, but resigned in 1992. He served as president of the newly formed Czech Republic from 1993 to 2003.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • proper noun A river in Germany.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun Czech dramatist and statesman whose plays opposed totalitarianism and who served as president of Czechoslovakia from 1989 to 1992 and president of the Czech Republic since 1993 (born in 1936)

Etymologies

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Examples

  • After the simplest homage to Havel from the French philosopher Andre Glucksmann, more messages from Mick Jagger and the ubiquitous Bono, Joan Baez sings.

    The Independent - Frontpage RSS Feed 2009

  • I really like the idea of Havel as a nominee; he should have been awarded this prize long ago.

    The Volokh Conspiracy » “Obama Effect” Spurs Record Number of Nobel Peace Prize Nominations 2010

  • U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in a statement called Havel "an inspiration" to human-rights defenders around the world while singer Lou Reed, whose band the Velvet Underground had an influence on Havel, wrote on his webpage that the ex-president was a "true hero in a world bereft."

    BusinessWeek.com -- Top News 2011

  • French President Nicolas Sarkozy, in a letter to his Czech counterpart, called Havel "a man of culture and writer of great talent" who "incarnated an indefatigable commitment to democracy and freedom."

    The Globe and Mail - Home RSS feed 2011

  • I really like the idea of Havel as a nominee; he should have been awarded this prize long ago.

    Libertarian Blog Place Various Libertarian Bloggers 2010

  • I recall Havel’s original support of the United States’ conduct with respect tIraq.

    The Volokh Conspiracy » “Obama Effect” Spurs Record Number of Nobel Peace Prize Nominations 2010

  • It was an idea that Havel would later take further in his influential essay The Power of the Powerless.

    Ivan Jirous obituary 2011

  • Perhaps the most important encounter in the stormy life of Ivan Jirous, the prolific poet, essayist and leader of the Czech cultural opposition, who managed the psychedelic rock band the Plastic People of the Universe, was a conspiratorial meeting with the future Czech president Václav Havel.

    Ivan Jirous obituary 2011

  • Jirous represented the raw, emotional power of a ballooning underground music scene; Havel represented the intellectual community of banned writers and academics who already enjoyed international recognition.

    Ivan Jirous obituary 2011

  • Havel rallied his fellow dissidents and unleashed an international campaign to free them.

    Ivan Jirous obituary 2011

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