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• franklin
  franklin

  noun

  (in the 14th and 15th centuries) a freeholder who was not of noble birth.
• Franklin
  Franklin

  noun

  Aretha 1942–2018, U.S. singer.

franklin

¹ American  

[frangk-lin] / ˈfræŋk lɪn /

noun

English History.

1. (in the 14th and 15th centuries) a freeholder who was not of noble birth.

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Franklin ² American  

[frangk-lin] / ˈfræŋk lɪn /

noun

1. Aretha 1942–2018, U.S. singer.

2. Benjamin, 1706–90, American statesman, diplomat, author, scientist, and inventor.

3. Sir John, 1786–1847, English Arctic explorer.

4. John Hope, 1915–2009, U.S. historian and educator.

5. a district in extreme N Canada, in the Northwest Territories, including the Boothia and Melville peninsulas, Baffin Island, and other Arctic islands. 549,253 sq. mi. (1,422,565 sq. km).

6. a town in S Massachusetts.

7. a city in SE Wisconsin.

8. a town in central Tennessee.

9. a town in central Indiana.

10. a town in SW Ohio.

11. a male given name: from a Germanic word meaning “freeholder.”

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Franklin ¹ British  

/ ˈfræŋklɪn /

noun

1. Aretha (əˈriːθə) born 1942, US soul, pop, and gospel singer; noted for her songs "Respect" (1967), "I Say a Little Prayer" (1968), and, with George Michael, "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)" (1987)

2. Benjamin 1706–90, American statesman, scientist, and author. He helped draw up the Declaration of Independence (1776) and, as ambassador to France (1776–85), he negotiated an alliance with France and a peace settlement with Britain. As a scientist, he is noted particularly for his researches in electricity, esp his invention of the lightning conductor

3. Sir John . 1786–1847, English explorer of the Arctic: lieutenant-governor of Van Diemen's Land (now Tasmania) (1836–43): died while on a voyage to discover the Northwest Passage

4. Rosalind . 1920–58, British x-ray crystallographer. She contributed to the discovery of the structure of DNA, before her premature death from cancer

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franklin ² British  

/ ˈfræŋklɪn /

noun

1. (in 14th- and 15th-century England) a substantial landholder of free but not noble birth

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Franklin ¹ Scientific  

/ frăngk′lĭn /

1. American public official, scientist, inventor, and writer who fully established the distinction between negative and positive electricity, proved that lightning and electricity are identical, and suggested that buildings could be protected by lightning conductors. He also invented bifocal glasses, established the direction of the prevailing storm track in North America and determined the existence of the Gulf Stream.

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Franklin ² Scientific  

1. British x-ray crystallographer whose diffraction images, made by directing x-rays at DNA, provided crucial information that led to the discovery of its structure as a double helix by Francis Crick and James D. Watson.

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Etymology

Origin of franklin

1250–1300; Middle English fra ( u ) nkelin < Anglo-French fraunclein, equivalent to fraunc free, frank ¹ + -lein -ling ¹; formed on the model of Old French chamberlain chamberlain

Example Sentences

Franklin learned she had kidney disease in her 20s when a new primary-care doctor saw that her blood pressure was chronically high and sent her to a nephrologist.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026

A decade or so later, Franklin learned she had chronic kidney disease.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026

His book, The Influence of Sea Power Upon History, 1660-1783, published in 1890, found disciples in Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, Kaiser Wilhelm II, and the Japanese imperial naval ministry, and shaped 20th-century history.

From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026

Royce Investment Partners is a subsidiary of Franklin Templeton and is based in New York.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 4, 2026

Perhaps Franklin would consider studying the diffraction patterns of these fibers and deduce a structure?

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee