used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading "The spears they carried, though entirely of wood, were dangerous weapons," says the old writer in describing the armament of a tribe of the South Sea islanders.
AfricanadjectiveUS /ˈæfrəkən/
of or relating to the nations of Africa or their peoples
From this reading "Their points are hardened by being subjected to fire, and, in the hands of those fierce men, they are as deadly as the assegai of the African."
ALFREDnounUS /ˈælfrəd/
king of Wessex; defeated the Vikings and encouraged writing in English (849-899)
From this reading THE SPEARING OF ALFRED.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Their points are hardened by being subjected to fire, and, in the hands of those fierce men, they are as deadly as the assegai of the African."
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Their points are hardened by being subjected to fire, and, in the hands of those fierce men, they are as deadly as the assegai of the African."
armamentnounUS /ˈɑːrməmənt/
weaponry used by military or naval force
From this reading "The spears they carried, though entirely of wood, were dangerous weapons," says the old writer in describing the armament of a tribe of the South Sea islanders.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "Their points are hardened by being subjected to fire, and, in the hands of those fierce men, they are as deadly as the assegai of the African."
assegainoun
the slender spear of the Bantu-speaking people of Africa
From this reading "Their points are hardened by being subjected to fire, and, in the hands of those fierce men, they are as deadly as the assegai of the African."
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading His armament, he felt, was not yet what it should be.
beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading "Their points are hardened by being subjected to fire, and, in the hands of those fierce men, they are as deadly as the assegai of the African."
showing who or what does the action
From this reading "Their points are hardened by being subjected to fire, and, in the hands of those fierce men, they are as deadly as the assegai of the African."
inflected form of “carry” — move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body
From this reading "The spears they carried, though entirely of wood, were dangerous weapons," says the old writer in describing the armament of a tribe of the South Sea islanders.
involving or causing danger or risk; liable to hurt or harm
From this reading "The spears they carried, though entirely of wood, were dangerous weapons," says the old writer in describing the armament of a tribe of the South Sea islanders.
causing or capable of causing death
From this reading "Their points are hardened by being subjected to fire, and, in the hands of those fierce men, they are as deadly as the assegai of the African."
deepestadjectiveUS /ˈdiːpəst/
superlative of “deep” — relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply
From this reading This passage, which he had stumbled upon somewhere, was of deepest interest to young Harlson.
describingverbUS /dɪˈskraɪbɪŋ/
-ing form of “describe” — give a description of
From this reading "The spears they carried, though entirely of wood, were dangerous weapons," says the old writer in describing the armament of a tribe of the South Sea islanders.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading "The spears they carried, though entirely of wood, were dangerous weapons," says the old writer in describing the armament of a tribe of the South Sea islanders.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading His armament, he felt, was not yet what it should be.
marked by extreme and violent energy
From this reading "Their points are hardened by being subjected to fire, and, in the hands of those fierce men, they are as deadly as the assegai of the African."
start firing a weapon
From this reading "Their points are hardened by being subjected to fire, and, in the hands of those fierce men, they are as deadly as the assegai of the African."
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading This passage, which he had stumbled upon somewhere, was of deepest interest to young Harlson.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading "Their points are hardened by being subjected to fire, and, in the hands of those fierce men, they are as deadly as the assegai of the African."
hardenedadjectiveUS /ˈhɑːrdənd/
used of persons; emotionally hardened
From this reading "Their points are hardened by being subjected to fire, and, in the hands of those fierce men, they are as deadly as the assegai of the African."
Harlson
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading This passage, which he had stumbled upon somewhere, was of deepest interest to young Harlson.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading This passage, which he had stumbled upon somewhere, was of deepest interest to young Harlson.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His armament, he felt, was not yet what it should be.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "The spears they carried, though entirely of wood, were dangerous weapons," says the old writer in describing the armament of a tribe of the South Sea islanders.
a sense of concern with and curiosity about someone or something
From this reading This passage, which he had stumbled upon somewhere, was of deepest interest to young Harlson.
islandersnounUS /ˈaɪləndərz/
plural of “islander” — an inhabitant of an island
From this reading "The spears they carried, though entirely of wood, were dangerous weapons," says the old writer in describing the armament of a tribe of the South Sea islanders.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading His armament, he felt, was not yet what it should be.
the force of workers available
From this reading "Their points are hardened by being subjected to fire, and, in the hands of those fierce men, they are as deadly as the assegai of the African."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading His armament, he felt, was not yet what it should be.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE SPEARING OF ALFRED.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading "The spears they carried, though entirely of wood, were dangerous weapons," says the old writer in describing the armament of a tribe of the South Sea islanders.
the act of passing from one state or place to the next
From this reading This passage, which he had stumbled upon somewhere, was of deepest interest to young Harlson.
plural of “point” — a geometric element that has position but no extension
From this reading "Their points are hardened by being subjected to fire, and, in the hands of those fierce men, they are as deadly as the assegai of the African."
plural of “say” — the chance to speak
From this reading "The spears they carried, though entirely of wood, were dangerous weapons," says the old writer in describing the armament of a tribe of the South Sea islanders.
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading "The spears they carried, though entirely of wood, were dangerous weapons," says the old writer in describing the armament of a tribe of the South Sea islanders.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading His armament, he felt, was not yet what it should be.
in or at or to some place
From this reading This passage, which he had stumbled upon somewhere, was of deepest interest to young Harlson.
the region of the United States lying to the south of the Mason-Dixon line
From this reading "The spears they carried, though entirely of wood, were dangerous weapons," says the old writer in describing the armament of a tribe of the South Sea islanders.
SPEARINGverbUS /ˈspɪrɪŋ/
-ing form of “spear” — pierce with a spear
From this reading THE SPEARING OF ALFRED.
spearsnounUS /spɪrz/
plural of “spear” — a long pointed rod used as a tool or weapon
From this reading "The spears they carried, though entirely of wood, were dangerous weapons," says the old writer in describing the armament of a tribe of the South Sea islanders.
stumbledverbUS /ˈstʌmbəld/
past form of “stumble” — walk unsteadily
From this reading This passage, which he had stumbled upon somewhere, was of deepest interest to young Harlson.
subjectedverbUS /səbˈdʒektɪd/
past form of “subject” — cause to experience or suffer or make liable or vulnerable to
From this reading "Their points are hardened by being subjected to fire, and, in the hands of those fierce men, they are as deadly as the assegai of the African."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE SPEARING OF ALFRED.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading "Their points are hardened by being subjected to fire, and, in the hands of those fierce men, they are as deadly as the assegai of the African."
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "The spears they carried, though entirely of wood, were dangerous weapons," says the old writer in describing the armament of a tribe of the South Sea islanders.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This passage, which he had stumbled upon somewhere, was of deepest interest to young Harlson.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading "Their points are hardened by being subjected to fire, and, in the hands of those fierce men, they are as deadly as the assegai of the African."
in spite of the fact that
From this reading "The spears they carried, though entirely of wood, were dangerous weapons," says the old writer in describing the armament of a tribe of the South Sea islanders.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Their points are hardened by being subjected to fire, and, in the hands of those fierce men, they are as deadly as the assegai of the African."
tribenounUS /traɪb/
a social division of (usually preliterate) people
From this reading "The spears they carried, though entirely of wood, were dangerous weapons," says the old writer in describing the armament of a tribe of the South Sea islanders.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading This passage, which he had stumbled upon somewhere, was of deepest interest to young Harlson.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading This passage, which he had stumbled upon somewhere, was of deepest interest to young Harlson.
weaponsnounUS /ˈwepənz/
plural of “weapon” — any instrument or instrumentality used in fighting or hunting
From this reading "The spears they carried, though entirely of wood, were dangerous weapons," says the old writer in describing the armament of a tribe of the South Sea islanders.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "The spears they carried, though entirely of wood, were dangerous weapons," says the old writer in describing the armament of a tribe of the South Sea islanders.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading His armament, he felt, was not yet what it should be.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading This passage, which he had stumbled upon somewhere, was of deepest interest to young Harlson.
the hard fibrous lignified substance under the bark of trees
From this reading "The spears they carried, though entirely of wood, were dangerous weapons," says the old writer in describing the armament of a tribe of the South Sea islanders.
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading "The spears they carried, though entirely of wood, were dangerous weapons," says the old writer in describing the armament of a tribe of the South Sea islanders.
but in spite of that
From this reading His armament, he felt, was not yet what it should be.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading This passage, which he had stumbled upon somewhere, was of deepest interest to young Harlson.
