franklin

¹

[ frangk-lin ]

noun

, English History.

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

Franklin

²

[ frangk-lin ]

noun

1. A·re·tha [uh, -, ree, -th, uh], 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.”

Franklin

¹

/ ˈfræŋklɪn /

noun

1. FranklinAretha1942FUSMUSIC: soul singerMUSIC: pop singerMUSIC: gospel singer 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. FranklinBenjamin17061790MAmericanPOLITICS: statesmanSCIENCE: scientistWRITING: author 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. FranklinSir John17861847MEnglishTRAVEL AND EXPLORATION: explorerPOLITICS: administrator 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. FranklinRosalind19201958FBritishSCIENCE: crystallographer Rosalind . 1920–58, British x-ray crystallographer. She contributed to the discovery of the structure of DNA, before her premature death from cancer

franklin

²

/ ˈfræŋklɪn /

noun

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

Franklin

¹

/ 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.

Franklin

²

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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of franklin¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of franklin¹

C13: from Anglo-French fraunclein , from Old French franc free, on the model of chamberlain

Biography

James D. Watson and Francis Crick's famous double helix model of the structure of DNA is rightly considered one of the greatest scientific discoveries ever made. While Watson and Crick became famous the world over, later sharing the Nobel Prize for physiology or medicine, the contributions of Rosalind Franklin are less well-known, even though her work was crucial to their discovery. Franklin's x-ray photograph depicting the double-helix shape of DNA gave Watson and Crick the essential experimental evidence they needed to determine DNA's structure. Born in London in 1920 to a wealthy Anglo-Jewish family, Franklin attended the University of Cambridge, where she earned a doctorate in physical chemistry. It was there that she learned x-ray crystallography, a process used to determine the structure of molecules by bombarding them with x-rays and analyzing the resultant diffraction patterns. Franklin later accepted a post at King's College London in 1951 to study DNA, thus entering the race to discover the molecule's structure. Without her knowledge, a close colleague at King's, Maurice Wilkins, showed her unpublished research to Watson and Crick, who were then able to establish DNA's configuration and soon after published their findings in the journal Nature. When Franklin saw the model produced by Watson and Crick, she accepted it immediately, as it fit with her experimental data. Franklin left King's in 1953 and continued a distinguished career, studying the structure of viruses. She died of ovarian cancer at 37, never knowing how her own work had contributed to their important discovery.

Example Sentences

More than 200 years ago benjamin franklin coined the now famous dictum that equated passing minutes and hours with shillings and pounds.

From Scientific American

It was also enacted that the franklins should assist in erecting buildings on the royal estates, and that merchants and fishermen and all who sailed to Iceland should pay certain dues to the King.

From Project Gutenberg

His family was descended from a line of free-holders or “franklins” from whom some centuries earlier they had derived their surname; but the small family estate was sold by his father, who went into business.

From Project Gutenberg

The franklins were by their possessions fitted for becoming sheriffs, knights, etc.

From Project Gutenberg

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

From Project Gutenberg