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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.

• franklins
  plural

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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• franklins
  plural

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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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

franklin Franklin franklins

Who the heck cares that you live in oakland ho ho kus or franklin lakes!!!

From New York Times ● Mar. 19, 2010

Restorer of Faith Shirley franklin isn't standard mayor material.

From Time Magazine Archive

With reporting by Eric Ferkenhoff Shirley Franklin / Atlanta Restorer of Faith Shirley franklin isn't standard mayor material.

From Time Magazine Archive

The other characters represented a franklin or private gentleman, a churl or farmer, and the lower grades were represented by a clown.

From Character Sketches of Romance, Fiction and the Drama A Revised American Edition of the Reader's Handbook, Vol. 3 by Ebenezer Cobham Brewer

As to John, he took unto himself a village maid, and settled in Lyndhurst, where his five thousand crowns made him the richest franklin for many miles around.

From The White Company by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

The novel, set in Western Australia with two teenage boys as the main characters, was also shortlisted for the International Dublin Literary Awards and the Miles Franklin Literary Award.

From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026

In contrast, Cardi B is a history buff fascinated by Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s presidency and the lasting impact of Eleanor Roosevelt.

From Salon ● Oct. 27, 2026

"AI is making its way into the 2026 midterms in a big way this year," said Erika Franklin Fowler, co-director of the Wesleyan Media Project.

From Barron's ● Oct. 26, 2026

The 80-plus years of U.S.-Saudi friendship, which began when Franklin D. Roosevelt met King Abdulaziz aboard a ship off Egypt in 1945, have been marked by repeated disagreements and disappointments.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2026

Lady Jane Franklin, Franklin’s wealthy and determined wife, instigated and even financed several of the searches.

From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler

The noblemen, or, more justly speaking, the franklins, alone defended the country against foreign invasions.

From The Village Notary by J?zsef E?tv?s

It was customary in those days to place boys with foster-fathers; prominent nobles or even plain franklins received princes into their households and regarded the charge as an honoured trust.

From Canute the Great The Rise of Danish Imperialism during the Viking Age by Laurence Marcellus Larson

“Ay, but,” said Wamba, “your chivalrous excellency will find there are more fools than franklins among us.”

From The Literary World Seventh Reader by John Calvin Metcalf

Bela now assembled the nobles and franklins of Hungary, and, supported by them, demanded the restoration of the ancient constitution.

From The Great Events by Famous Historians, Volume 06 (From Barbarossa to Dante) by Charles F. (Charles Francis) Horne

He had humbled the neighbouring franklins, who refused to pay him blackmail.

From The House of Walderne A Tale of the Cloister and the Forest in the Days of the Barons' Wars by A. D. (Augustine David) Crake

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