used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading We descended to the church through a narrow alley about a hundred feet in length, which by slopes and steps led downward.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading We descended to the church through a narrow alley about a hundred feet in length, which by slopes and steps led downward.
alleynounUS /ˈæli/
a narrow street with walls on both sides
From this reading We descended to the church through a narrow alley about a hundred feet in length, which by slopes and steps led downward.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading We descended to the church through a narrow alley about a hundred feet in length, which by slopes and steps led downward.
past form of “arrive” — reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress
From this reading The church is so surrounded by other buildings that it could not be seen until we arrived at the foot of the alley, where a few steps to the left led down to a wide stone paved court.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The church is so surrounded by other buildings that it could not be seen until we arrived at the foot of the alley, where a few steps to the left led down to a wide stone paved court.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading The church is so surrounded by other buildings that it could not be seen until we arrived at the foot of the alley, where a few steps to the left led down to a wide stone paved court.
beadsnounUS /biːdz/
several beads threaded together on a string
From this reading On each side of this alley peddlers had stands for the sale of beads, rosaries, crucifixes, candles, and souvenirs, which they earnestly besought the visitors to buy.
belowprepositionUS /bɪˈloʊ/
at or to a lower level than something
From this reading The floor of the vast Church of the Holy Sepulchre is below the level of Christian Street.
besought
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading On each side of this alley peddlers had stands for the sale of beads, rosaries, crucifixes, candles, and souvenirs, which they earnestly besought the visitors to buy.
buildingsnounUS /ˈbɪldɪŋz/
plural of “building” — a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place
From this reading The church is so surrounded by other buildings that it could not be seen until we arrived at the foot of the alley, where a few steps to the left led down to a wide stone paved court.
obtain by purchase; acquire by means of a financial transaction
From this reading On each side of this alley peddlers had stands for the sale of beads, rosaries, crucifixes, candles, and souvenirs, which they earnestly besought the visitors to buy.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading We descended to the church through a narrow alley about a hundred feet in length, which by slopes and steps led downward.
candlesnounUS /ˈkændəlz/
plural of “candle” — stick of wax with a wick in the middle
From this reading On each side of this alley peddlers had stands for the sale of beads, rosaries, crucifixes, candles, and souvenirs, which they earnestly besought the visitors to buy.
relating to or characteristic of Christianity
From this reading The floor of the vast Church of the Holy Sepulchre is below the level of Christian Street.
one of the groups of Christians who have their own beliefs and forms of worship
From this reading THE CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading The church is so surrounded by other buildings that it could not be seen until we arrived at the foot of the alley, where a few steps to the left led down to a wide stone paved court.
an assembly (including one or more judges) to conduct judicial business
From this reading The church is so surrounded by other buildings that it could not be seen until we arrived at the foot of the alley, where a few steps to the left led down to a wide stone paved court.
crucifixesnounUS /ˈkruːsəfɪksɪz/
plural of “crucifix” — representation of the cross on which Jesus died
From this reading On each side of this alley peddlers had stands for the sale of beads, rosaries, crucifixes, candles, and souvenirs, which they earnestly besought the visitors to buy.
past form of “descend” — move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
From this reading We descended to the church through a narrow alley about a hundred feet in length, which by slopes and steps led downward.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading The church is so surrounded by other buildings that it could not be seen until we arrived at the foot of the alley, where a few steps to the left led down to a wide stone paved court.
downwardadjectiveUS /ˈdaʊnwərd/
extending or moving from a higher to a lower place
From this reading We descended to the church through a narrow alley about a hundred feet in length, which by slopes and steps led downward.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading On each side of this alley peddlers had stands for the sale of beads, rosaries, crucifixes, candles, and souvenirs, which they earnestly besought the visitors to buy.
in a serious manner
From this reading On each side of this alley peddlers had stands for the sale of beads, rosaries, crucifixes, candles, and souvenirs, which they earnestly besought the visitors to buy.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading We descended to the church through a narrow alley about a hundred feet in length, which by slopes and steps led downward.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading The church is so surrounded by other buildings that it could not be seen until we arrived at the foot of the alley, where a few steps to the left led down to a wide stone paved court.
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading The floor of the vast Church of the Holy Sepulchre is below the level of Christian Street.
the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading The church is so surrounded by other buildings that it could not be seen until we arrived at the foot of the alley, where a few steps to the left led down to a wide stone paved court.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading On each side of this alley peddlers had stands for the sale of beads, rosaries, crucifixes, candles, and souvenirs, which they earnestly besought the visitors to buy.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading On each side of this alley peddlers had stands for the sale of beads, rosaries, crucifixes, candles, and souvenirs, which they earnestly besought the visitors to buy.
a sacred place of pilgrimage
From this reading THE CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE.
ten 10s
From this reading We descended to the church through a narrow alley about a hundred feet in length, which by slopes and steps led downward.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading We descended to the church through a narrow alley about a hundred feet in length, which by slopes and steps led downward.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The floor of the vast Church of the Holy Sepulchre is below the level of Christian Street.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The church is so surrounded by other buildings that it could not be seen until we arrived at the foot of the alley, where a few steps to the left led down to a wide stone paved court.
diode such that light emitted at a p-n junction is proportional to the bias current; color depends on the material used
From this reading We descended to the church through a narrow alley about a hundred feet in length, which by slopes and steps led downward.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading The church is so surrounded by other buildings that it could not be seen until we arrived at the foot of the alley, where a few steps to the left led down to a wide stone paved court.
the linear extent in space from one end to the other; the longest dimension of something that is fixed in place
From this reading We descended to the church through a narrow alley about a hundred feet in length, which by slopes and steps led downward.
a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality
From this reading The floor of the vast Church of the Holy Sepulchre is below the level of Christian Street.
make or become more narrow or restricted
From this reading We descended to the church through a narrow alley about a hundred feet in length, which by slopes and steps led downward.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The church is so surrounded by other buildings that it could not be seen until we arrived at the foot of the alley, where a few steps to the left led down to a wide stone paved court.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading On each side of this alley peddlers had stands for the sale of beads, rosaries, crucifixes, candles, and souvenirs, which they earnestly besought the visitors to buy.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading The church is so surrounded by other buildings that it could not be seen until we arrived at the foot of the alley, where a few steps to the left led down to a wide stone paved court.
pavedadjectiveUS /peɪvd/
covered with a firm surface
From this reading The church is so surrounded by other buildings that it could not be seen until we arrived at the foot of the alley, where a few steps to the left led down to a wide stone paved court.
peddlersnounUS /ˈpedlərz/
plural of “peddler” — someone who travels about selling his wares (as on the streets or at carnivals)
From this reading On each side of this alley peddlers had stands for the sale of beads, rosaries, crucifixes, candles, and souvenirs, which they earnestly besought the visitors to buy.
rosariesnounUS /ˈroʊzəriz/
plural of “rosary” — a string of beads used in counting prayers (especially by Catholics)
From this reading On each side of this alley peddlers had stands for the sale of beads, rosaries, crucifixes, candles, and souvenirs, which they earnestly besought the visitors to buy.
salenounUS /seɪl/
a particular instance of selling
From this reading On each side of this alley peddlers had stands for the sale of beads, rosaries, crucifixes, candles, and souvenirs, which they earnestly besought the visitors to buy.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading The church is so surrounded by other buildings that it could not be seen until we arrived at the foot of the alley, where a few steps to the left led down to a wide stone paved court.
SEPULCHREnoun
a chamber that is used as a grave
From this reading THE CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading On each side of this alley peddlers had stands for the sale of beads, rosaries, crucifixes, candles, and souvenirs, which they earnestly besought the visitors to buy.
slopesnounUS /sloʊps/
plural of “slope” — an elevated geological formation
From this reading We descended to the church through a narrow alley about a hundred feet in length, which by slopes and steps led downward.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading The church is so surrounded by other buildings that it could not be seen until we arrived at the foot of the alley, where a few steps to the left led down to a wide stone paved court.
souvenirsnounUS /ˌsuːvəˈnɪrz/
plural of “souvenir” — something of sentimental value
From this reading On each side of this alley peddlers had stands for the sale of beads, rosaries, crucifixes, candles, and souvenirs, which they earnestly besought the visitors to buy.
plural of “stand” — a support or foundation
From this reading On each side of this alley peddlers had stands for the sale of beads, rosaries, crucifixes, candles, and souvenirs, which they earnestly besought the visitors to buy.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading We descended to the church through a narrow alley about a hundred feet in length, which by slopes and steps led downward.
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading The church is so surrounded by other buildings that it could not be seen until we arrived at the foot of the alley, where a few steps to the left led down to a wide stone paved court.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading The floor of the vast Church of the Holy Sepulchre is below the level of Christian Street.
confined on all sides
From this reading The church is so surrounded by other buildings that it could not be seen until we arrived at the foot of the alley, where a few steps to the left led down to a wide stone paved court.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The church is so surrounded by other buildings that it could not be seen until we arrived at the foot of the alley, where a few steps to the left led down to a wide stone paved court.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading On each side of this alley peddlers had stands for the sale of beads, rosaries, crucifixes, candles, and souvenirs, which they earnestly besought the visitors to buy.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading On each side of this alley peddlers had stands for the sale of beads, rosaries, crucifixes, candles, and souvenirs, which they earnestly besought the visitors to buy.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading We descended to the church through a narrow alley about a hundred feet in length, which by slopes and steps led downward.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading We descended to the church through a narrow alley about a hundred feet in length, which by slopes and steps led downward.
untilprepositionUS /ənˈtɪl/
up to a particular time
From this reading The church is so surrounded by other buildings that it could not be seen until we arrived at the foot of the alley, where a few steps to the left led down to a wide stone paved court.
unusually great in size or amount or degree or especially extent or scope
From this reading The floor of the vast Church of the Holy Sepulchre is below the level of Christian Street.
plural of “visitor” — someone who visits
From this reading On each side of this alley peddlers had stands for the sale of beads, rosaries, crucifixes, candles, and souvenirs, which they earnestly besought the visitors to buy.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We descended to the church through a narrow alley about a hundred feet in length, which by slopes and steps led downward.
in or at the place that
From this reading The church is so surrounded by other buildings that it could not be seen until we arrived at the foot of the alley, where a few steps to the left led down to a wide stone paved court.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading We descended to the church through a narrow alley about a hundred feet in length, which by slopes and steps led downward.
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading The church is so surrounded by other buildings that it could not be seen until we arrived at the foot of the alley, where a few steps to the left led down to a wide stone paved court.
