the Statue of Liberty
noun /ðə ˌstætʃuː əv ˈlɪbəti/
/ðə ˌstætʃuː əv ˈlɪbərti/
- a statue at the entrance of New York harbour, which represents a female figure carrying a book of laws in one hand and a torch in the other and is a symbol of welcome to people coming to live in the USCultureThe official name of the statue is the 'Liberty Enlightening the World'. It has become a symbol of freedom and was the first American sight seen by many people who went to the US for a better life. It was designed by Frédéric Auguste Bartoldi (1834-1904) and given to the US people by France in 1886. The poem by Emma Lazarus (1849-87) on the base of the statue includes the lines: 'Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.’ The statue was made a World Heritage Site in 1984.