used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading He carried with him four letters: the letter of Justinian to Belisarius, the letters of the King of the Franks to Cethegus and Belisarius, and a letter from Belisarius to Witichis.
ambassadornounUS /æmˈbæsədər/
a diplomat of the highest rank; accredited as representative from one country to another
From this reading The ambassador had no suspicion of the mood in which he should find the King of the Goths and his beautiful Queen.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He carried with him four letters: the letter of Justinian to Belisarius, the letters of the King of the Franks to Cethegus and Belisarius, and a letter from Belisarius to Witichis.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At mid-day Procopius rode into Ravenna.
delighting the senses or exciting intellectual or emotional admiration
From this reading The ambassador had no suspicion of the mood in which he should find the King of the Goths and his beautiful Queen.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading This last had been written by Procopius and dictated by Cethegus.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading The healthy but simple mind of the King had begun to darken, if not to despair, under the pressure of continual misfortune.
Belisariusnoun
Byzantine general under Justinian I; he recovered former Roman territories in northern Africa and fought against the Persians
From this reading He carried with him four letters: the letter of Justinian to Belisarius, the letters of the King of the Franks to Cethegus and Belisarius, and a letter from Belisarius to Witichis.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The healthy but simple mind of the King had begun to darken, if not to despair, under the pressure of continual misfortune.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading This last had been written by Procopius and dictated by Cethegus.
inflected form of “carry” — move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body
From this reading He carried with him four letters: the letter of Justinian to Belisarius, the letters of the King of the Franks to Cethegus and Belisarius, and a letter from Belisarius to Witichis.
Cethegus
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He carried with him four letters: the letter of Justinian to Belisarius, the letters of the King of the Franks to Cethegus and Belisarius, and a letter from Belisarius to Witichis.
continualadjectiveUS /kənˈtɪnjuːəl/
recurring regularly or frequently in a prolonged and closely spaced series
From this reading The healthy but simple mind of the King had begun to darken, if not to despair, under the pressure of continual misfortune.
darkenverbUS /ˈdɑːrkən/
become dark or darker
From this reading The healthy but simple mind of the King had begun to darken, if not to despair, under the pressure of continual misfortune.
a state in which all hope is lost or absent
From this reading The healthy but simple mind of the King had begun to darken, if not to despair, under the pressure of continual misfortune.
dictatedadjectiveUS /dɪkˈteɪtɪd/
determined or decided upon as by an authority
From this reading This last had been written by Procopius and dictated by Cethegus.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading The ambassador had no suspicion of the mood in which he should find the King of the Goths and his beautiful Queen.
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading He carried with him four letters: the letter of Justinian to Belisarius, the letters of the King of the Franks to Cethegus and Belisarius, and a letter from Belisarius to Witichis.
FranksnounUS /fræŋks/
plural of “frank” — a member of the ancient Germanic peoples who spread from the Rhine into the Roman Empire in the 4th century
From this reading He carried with him four letters: the letter of Justinian to Belisarius, the letters of the King of the Franks to Cethegus and Belisarius, and a letter from Belisarius to Witichis.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading He carried with him four letters: the letter of Justinian to Belisarius, the letters of the King of the Franks to Cethegus and Belisarius, and a letter from Belisarius to Witichis.
Goths
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The ambassador had no suspicion of the mood in which he should find the King of the Goths and his beautiful Queen.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading This last had been written by Procopius and dictated by Cethegus.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He carried with him four letters: the letter of Justinian to Belisarius, the letters of the King of the Franks to Cethegus and Belisarius, and a letter from Belisarius to Witichis.
healthyadjectiveUS /ˈhelθi/
having or indicating good health in body or mind; free from infirmity or disease
From this reading The healthy but simple mind of the King had begun to darken, if not to despair, under the pressure of continual misfortune.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He carried with him four letters: the letter of Justinian to Belisarius, the letters of the King of the Franks to Cethegus and Belisarius, and a letter from Belisarius to Witichis.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The ambassador had no suspicion of the mood in which he should find the King of the Goths and his beautiful Queen.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading The healthy but simple mind of the King had begun to darken, if not to despair, under the pressure of continual misfortune.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The ambassador had no suspicion of the mood in which he should find the King of the Goths and his beautiful Queen.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading At mid-day Procopius rode into Ravenna.
Justiniannoun
Byzantine emperor who held the eastern frontier of his empire against the Persians; codified Roman law in 529; his general Belisarius regained North Africa and Spain (483-565)
From this reading He carried with him four letters: the letter of Justinian to Belisarius, the letters of the King of the Franks to Cethegus and Belisarius, and a letter from Belisarius to Witichis.
a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
From this reading He carried with him four letters: the letter of Justinian to Belisarius, the letters of the King of the Franks to Cethegus and Belisarius, and a letter from Belisarius to Witichis.
immediately past
From this reading This last had been written by Procopius and dictated by Cethegus.
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading He carried with him four letters: the letter of Justinian to Belisarius, the letters of the King of the Franks to Cethegus and Belisarius, and a letter from Belisarius to Witichis.
the literary culture
From this reading He carried with him four letters: the letter of Justinian to Belisarius, the letters of the King of the Franks to Cethegus and Belisarius, and a letter from Belisarius to Witichis.
mid-day
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At mid-day Procopius rode into Ravenna.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading The healthy but simple mind of the King had begun to darken, if not to despair, under the pressure of continual misfortune.
unnecessary and unforeseen trouble resulting from an unfortunate event
From this reading The healthy but simple mind of the King had begun to darken, if not to despair, under the pressure of continual misfortune.
a characteristic (habitual or relatively temporary) state of feeling
From this reading The ambassador had no suspicion of the mood in which he should find the King of the Goths and his beautiful Queen.
not any; not one
From this reading The ambassador had no suspicion of the mood in which he should find the King of the Goths and his beautiful Queen.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The healthy but simple mind of the King had begun to darken, if not to despair, under the pressure of continual misfortune.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He carried with him four letters: the letter of Justinian to Belisarius, the letters of the King of the Franks to Cethegus and Belisarius, and a letter from Belisarius to Witichis.
pressurenounUS /ˈpreʃər/
the force applied to a unit area of surface; measured in pascals (SI unit) or in dynes (cgs unit)
From this reading The healthy but simple mind of the King had begun to darken, if not to despair, under the pressure of continual misfortune.
Procopius
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At mid-day Procopius rode into Ravenna.
the only fertile female in a colony of social insects such as bees and ants and termites; its function is to lay eggs
From this reading The ambassador had no suspicion of the mood in which he should find the King of the Goths and his beautiful Queen.
RavennanounUS /rəˈvenə/
a battle between the French and an alliance of Spaniards and Swiss and Venetians in 1512
From this reading At mid-day Procopius rode into Ravenna.
inflected form of “ride” — sit and travel on the back of animal, usually while controlling its motions
From this reading At mid-day Procopius rode into Ravenna.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading The ambassador had no suspicion of the mood in which he should find the King of the Goths and his beautiful Queen.
having few parts; not complex or complicated or involved
From this reading The healthy but simple mind of the King had begun to darken, if not to despair, under the pressure of continual misfortune.
an impression that something might be the case
From this reading The ambassador had no suspicion of the mood in which he should find the King of the Goths and his beautiful Queen.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He carried with him four letters: the letter of Justinian to Belisarius, the letters of the King of the Franks to Cethegus and Belisarius, and a letter from Belisarius to Witichis.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This last had been written by Procopius and dictated by Cethegus.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He carried with him four letters: the letter of Justinian to Belisarius, the letters of the King of the Franks to Cethegus and Belisarius, and a letter from Belisarius to Witichis.
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading The healthy but simple mind of the King had begun to darken, if not to despair, under the pressure of continual misfortune.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The ambassador had no suspicion of the mood in which he should find the King of the Goths and his beautiful Queen.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He carried with him four letters: the letter of Justinian to Belisarius, the letters of the King of the Franks to Cethegus and Belisarius, and a letter from Belisarius to Witichis.
Witichis
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He carried with him four letters: the letter of Justinian to Belisarius, the letters of the King of the Franks to Cethegus and Belisarius, and a letter from Belisarius to Witichis.
set down in writing in any of various ways
From this reading This last had been written by Procopius and dictated by Cethegus.
