used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Message sticks—The common origin of the dialects—Remarkably complicated grammar—The language on Herbert river—Comparison of a few dialects.
(usually followed by “to”) having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something
From this reading Still they are able to make themselves understood by a kind of sign language.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Now and then the natives send information to other tribes, and this is done by the aid of figures scratched on a “message stick” made of wood, about four to seven inches long, and one inch wide.
a person or thing that is a resource that helps make something easier or possible to do
From this reading Now and then the natives send information to other tribes, and this is done by the aid of figures scratched on a “message stick” made of wood, about four to seven inches long, and one inch wide.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Now and then the natives send information to other tribes, and this is done by the aid of figures scratched on a “message stick” made of wood, about four to seven inches long, and one inch wide.
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Still they are able to make themselves understood by a kind of sign language.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading A race so uncivilised as the Australian natives has of course no written language.
AustraliannounUS /ɔːˈstreɪljən/
a native or inhabitant of Australia
From this reading A race so uncivilised as the Australian natives has of course no written language.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Still they are able to make themselves understood by a kind of sign language.
coloursnounUS /ˈkʌlərz/
a distinguishing emblem
From this reading Some of them are flat, while others are round and about as thick as a man’s finger; they often are painted in different colours.
belonging to or participated in by a community as a whole; public
From this reading Message sticks—The common origin of the dialects—Remarkably complicated grammar—The language on Herbert river—Comparison of a few dialects.
ComparisonnounUS /kəmˈperəsən/
the act of examining resemblances
From this reading Message sticks—The common origin of the dialects—Remarkably complicated grammar—The language on Herbert river—Comparison of a few dialects.
complicatedadjectiveUS /ˈkɑːmpləkeɪtəd/
difficult to analyze or understand
From this reading Message sticks—The common origin of the dialects—Remarkably complicated grammar—The language on Herbert river—Comparison of a few dialects.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading A race so uncivilised as the Australian natives has of course no written language.
dialectsnounUS /ˈdaɪəlekts/
plural of “dialect” — the usage or vocabulary that is characteristic of a specific group of people
From this reading Message sticks—The common origin of the dialects—Remarkably complicated grammar—The language on Herbert river—Comparison of a few dialects.
unlike in nature or quality or form or degree
From this reading Some of them are flat, while others are round and about as thick as a man’s finger; they often are painted in different colours.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading Now and then the natives send information to other tribes, and this is done by the aid of figures scratched on a “message stick” made of wood, about four to seven inches long, and one inch wide.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading Message sticks—The common origin of the dialects—Remarkably complicated grammar—The language on Herbert river—Comparison of a few dialects.
plural of “figure” — a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading Now and then the natives send information to other tribes, and this is done by the aid of figures scratched on a “message stick” made of wood, about four to seven inches long, and one inch wide.
feel or handle with the fingers
From this reading Some of them are flat, while others are round and about as thick as a man’s finger; they often are painted in different colours.
having a surface without slope, tilt in which no part is higher or lower than another
From this reading Some of them are flat, while others are round and about as thick as a man’s finger; they often are painted in different colours.
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading Now and then the natives send information to other tribes, and this is done by the aid of figures scratched on a “message stick” made of wood, about four to seven inches long, and one inch wide.
grammarnounUS /ˈɡræmər/
the branch of linguistics that deals with syntax and morphology (and sometimes also deals with semantics)
From this reading Message sticks—The common origin of the dialects—Remarkably complicated grammar—The language on Herbert river—Comparison of a few dialects.
hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A race so uncivilised as the Australian natives has of course no written language.
HerbertnounUS /ˈhɜːrbərt/
United States musician and composer and conductor noted for his comic operas (1859-1924)
From this reading Message sticks—The common origin of the dialects—Remarkably complicated grammar—The language on Herbert river—Comparison of a few dialects.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Some of them are flat, while others are round and about as thick as a man’s finger; they often are painted in different colours.
a unit of length equal to one twelfth of a foot
From this reading Now and then the natives send information to other tribes, and this is done by the aid of figures scratched on a “message stick” made of wood, about four to seven inches long, and one inch wide.
plural of “inch” — a unit of length equal to one twelfth of a foot
From this reading Now and then the natives send information to other tribes, and this is done by the aid of figures scratched on a “message stick” made of wood, about four to seven inches long, and one inch wide.
a message received and understood
From this reading Now and then the natives send information to other tribes, and this is done by the aid of figures scratched on a “message stick” made of wood, about four to seven inches long, and one inch wide.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Now and then the natives send information to other tribes, and this is done by the aid of figures scratched on a “message stick” made of wood, about four to seven inches long, and one inch wide.
having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior
From this reading Still they are able to make themselves understood by a kind of sign language.
a systematic means of communicating by the use of sounds or conventional symbols
From this reading Message sticks—The common origin of the dialects—Remarkably complicated grammar—The language on Herbert river—Comparison of a few dialects.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading Now and then the natives send information to other tribes, and this is done by the aid of figures scratched on a “message stick” made of wood, about four to seven inches long, and one inch wide.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading Now and then the natives send information to other tribes, and this is done by the aid of figures scratched on a “message stick” made of wood, about four to seven inches long, and one inch wide.
engage in
From this reading Still they are able to make themselves understood by a kind of sign language.
man'snounUS /mænz/
possessive form of “man” — an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Some of them are flat, while others are round and about as thick as a man’s finger; they often are painted in different colours.
a communication (usually brief) that is written or spoken or signaled
From this reading Message sticks—The common origin of the dialects—Remarkably complicated grammar—The language on Herbert river—Comparison of a few dialects.
plural of “native” — an indigenous person who was born in a particular place
From this reading A race so uncivilised as the Australian natives has of course no written language.
not any; not one
From this reading A race so uncivilised as the Australian natives has of course no written language.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now and then the natives send information to other tribes, and this is done by the aid of figures scratched on a “message stick” made of wood, about four to seven inches long, and one inch wide.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Message sticks—The common origin of the dialects—Remarkably complicated grammar—The language on Herbert river—Comparison of a few dialects.
many times at short intervals
From this reading Some of them are flat, while others are round and about as thick as a man’s finger; they often are painted in different colours.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Message sticks—The common origin of the dialects—Remarkably complicated grammar—The language on Herbert river—Comparison of a few dialects.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Now and then the natives send information to other tribes, and this is done by the aid of figures scratched on a “message stick” made of wood, about four to seven inches long, and one inch wide.
originnounUS /ˈɔːrədʒən/
the place where something begins, where it springs into being
From this reading Message sticks—The common origin of the dialects—Remarkably complicated grammar—The language on Herbert river—Comparison of a few dialects.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading Now and then the natives send information to other tribes, and this is done by the aid of figures scratched on a “message stick” made of wood, about four to seven inches long, and one inch wide.
others
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Some of them are flat, while others are round and about as thick as a man’s finger; they often are painted in different colours.
coated with paint
From this reading Some of them are flat, while others are round and about as thick as a man’s finger; they often are painted in different colours.
any competition
From this reading A race so uncivilised as the Australian natives has of course no written language.
RemarkablyadverbUS /rɪˈmɑːrkəbli/
to a remarkable degree or extent
From this reading Message sticks—The common origin of the dialects—Remarkably complicated grammar—The language on Herbert river—Comparison of a few dialects.
a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)
From this reading Message sticks—The common origin of the dialects—Remarkably complicated grammar—The language on Herbert river—Comparison of a few dialects.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading Some of them are flat, while others are round and about as thick as a man’s finger; they often are painted in different colours.
scratchedverbUS /skrætʃt/
past form of “scratch” — cause friction
From this reading Now and then the natives send information to other tribes, and this is done by the aid of figures scratched on a “message stick” made of wood, about four to seven inches long, and one inch wide.
cause to go somewhere
From this reading Now and then the natives send information to other tribes, and this is done by the aid of figures scratched on a “message stick” made of wood, about four to seven inches long, and one inch wide.
the cardinal number that is the sum of six and one
From this reading Now and then the natives send information to other tribes, and this is done by the aid of figures scratched on a “message stick” made of wood, about four to seven inches long, and one inch wide.
a perceptible indication of something not immediately apparent (as a visible clue that something has happened)
From this reading Still they are able to make themselves understood by a kind of sign language.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading A race so uncivilised as the Australian natives has of course no written language.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Some of them are flat, while others are round and about as thick as a man’s finger; they often are painted in different colours.
put, fix, force, or implant
From this reading Now and then the natives send information to other tribes, and this is done by the aid of figures scratched on a “message stick” made of wood, about four to seven inches long, and one inch wide.
sticksnounUS /stɪks/
plural of “stick” — an implement consisting of a length of wood
From this reading Message sticks—The common origin of the dialects—Remarkably complicated grammar—The language on Herbert river—Comparison of a few dialects.
not in physical motion
From this reading Still they are able to make themselves understood by a kind of sign language.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Message sticks—The common origin of the dialects—Remarkably complicated grammar—The language on Herbert river—Comparison of a few dialects.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Some of them are flat, while others are round and about as thick as a man’s finger; they often are painted in different colours.
used when the people doing the action are also its object
From this reading Still they are able to make themselves understood by a kind of sign language.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Now and then the natives send information to other tribes, and this is done by the aid of figures scratched on a “message stick” made of wood, about four to seven inches long, and one inch wide.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Still they are able to make themselves understood by a kind of sign language.
not thin; of a specific thickness or of relatively great extent from one surface to the opposite usually in the smallest of the three solid dimensions
From this reading Some of them are flat, while others are round and about as thick as a man’s finger; they often are painted in different colours.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Now and then the natives send information to other tribes, and this is done by the aid of figures scratched on a “message stick” made of wood, about four to seven inches long, and one inch wide.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Still they are able to make themselves understood by a kind of sign language.
tribesnounUS /traɪbz/
plural of “tribe” — a social division of (usually preliterate) people
From this reading Now and then the natives send information to other tribes, and this is done by the aid of figures scratched on a “message stick” made of wood, about four to seven inches long, and one inch wide.
uncivilisedadjective
without civilizing influences
From this reading A race so uncivilised as the Australian natives has of course no written language.
fully apprehended as to purport or meaning or explanation
From this reading Still they are able to make themselves understood by a kind of sign language.
whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/
during the time that
From this reading Some of them are flat, while others are round and about as thick as a man’s finger; they often are painted in different colours.
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading Now and then the natives send information to other tribes, and this is done by the aid of figures scratched on a “message stick” made of wood, about four to seven inches long, and one inch wide.
the hard fibrous lignified substance under the bark of trees
From this reading Now and then the natives send information to other tribes, and this is done by the aid of figures scratched on a “message stick” made of wood, about four to seven inches long, and one inch wide.
set down in writing in any of various ways
From this reading A race so uncivilised as the Australian natives has of course no written language.
