adeterminerUS /ə/
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The Honourable Everard Romfrey came of a race of fighting earls, toughest of men, whose high, stout, Western castle had weathered our cyclone periods of history without changeing hands more than once, and then but for a short year or two, as if to teach the original possessors the wisdom of inclining to the stronger side.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading A savour of North Sea foam and ballad pirates hangs about the early chronicles of the family.
againstprepositionUS /əˈɡenst/
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading They had a queen’s chamber in it, and a king’s; and they stood well up against the charge of having dealt darkly with the king.
amongprepositionUS /əˈmʌŋ/
surrounded by; in the middle of a group
From this reading He died among them—how has not been told.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The Honourable Everard Romfrey came of a race of fighting earls, toughest of men, whose high, stout, Western castle had weathered our cyclone periods of history without changeing hands more than once, and then but for a short year or two, as if to teach the original possessors the wisdom of inclining to the stronger side.
asconjunctionUS /æz/
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The Honourable Everard Romfrey came of a race of fighting earls, toughest of men, whose high, stout, Western castle had weathered our cyclone periods of history without changeing hands more than once, and then but for a short year or two, as if to teach the original possessors the wisdom of inclining to the stronger side.
balladnounUS /ˈbæləd/
a narrative song with a recurrent refrain
From this reading A savour of North Sea foam and ballad pirates hangs about the early chronicles of the family.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading He died among them—how has not been told.
butconjunctionUS /bʌt/
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The Honourable Everard Romfrey came of a race of fighting earls, toughest of men, whose high, stout, Western castle had weathered our cyclone periods of history without changeing hands more than once, and then but for a short year or two, as if to teach the original possessors the wisdom of inclining to the stronger side.
cameverbUS /keɪm/
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading The Honourable Everard Romfrey came of a race of fighting earls, toughest of men, whose high, stout, Western castle had weathered our cyclone periods of history without changeing hands more than once, and then but for a short year or two, as if to teach the original possessors the wisdom of inclining to the stronger side.
castlenounUS /ˈkæsəl/
a large and stately mansion
From this reading The Honourable Everard Romfrey came of a race of fighting earls, toughest of men, whose high, stout, Western castle had weathered our cyclone periods of history without changeing hands more than once, and then but for a short year or two, as if to teach the original possessors the wisdom of inclining to the stronger side.
chambernounUS /ˈtʃeɪmbər/
a natural or artificial enclosed space
From this reading They had a queen’s chamber in it, and a king’s; and they stood well up against the charge of having dealt darkly with the king.
changeing
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Honourable Everard Romfrey came of a race of fighting earls, toughest of men, whose high, stout, Western castle had weathered our cyclone periods of history without changeing hands more than once, and then but for a short year or two, as if to teach the original possessors the wisdom of inclining to the stronger side.
chargeverbUS /tʃɑːrdʒ/
to make a rush at or sudden attack upon, as in battle
From this reading They had a queen’s chamber in it, and a king’s; and they stood well up against the charge of having dealt darkly with the king.
chroniclesnounUS /ˈkrɑːnɪkəlz/
plural of “chronicle” — a record or narrative description of past events
From this reading A savour of North Sea foam and ballad pirates hangs about the early chronicles of the family.
conjecturesnounUS /kənˈdʒektʃərz/
plural of “conjecture” — a hypothesis that has been formed by speculating or conjecturing (usually with little hard evidence)
From this reading We will not discuss the conjectures here.
cyclonenounUS /sɪˈkloʊn/
(meteorology) rapid inward circulation of air masses about a low pressure center; circling counterclockwise in the northern hemisphere and clockwise in the southern
From this reading The Honourable Everard Romfrey came of a race of fighting earls, toughest of men, whose high, stout, Western castle had weathered our cyclone periods of history without changeing hands more than once, and then but for a short year or two, as if to teach the original possessors the wisdom of inclining to the stronger side.
darklyadverbUS /ˈdɑːrkli/
without light
From this reading They had a queen’s chamber in it, and a king’s; and they stood well up against the charge of having dealt darkly with the king.
dealtverbUS /delt/
inflected form of “deal” — act on verbally or in some form of artistic expression
From this reading They had a queen’s chamber in it, and a king’s; and they stood well up against the charge of having dealt darkly with the king.
diedverbUS /daɪd/
past form of “die” — pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading He died among them—how has not been told.
discussverbUS /dɪˈskʌs/
to consider or examine in speech or writing
From this reading We will not discuss the conjectures here.
earlsnounUS /ɜːrlz/
plural of “earl” — a British peer ranking below a marquess and above a viscount
From this reading The Honourable Everard Romfrey came of a race of fighting earls, toughest of men, whose high, stout, Western castle had weathered our cyclone periods of history without changeing hands more than once, and then but for a short year or two, as if to teach the original possessors the wisdom of inclining to the stronger side.
earlyadjectiveUS /ˈɜːrli/
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading A savour of North Sea foam and ballad pirates hangs about the early chronicles of the family.
Everard
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Honourable Everard Romfrey came of a race of fighting earls, toughest of men, whose high, stout, Western castle had weathered our cyclone periods of history without changeing hands more than once, and then but for a short year or two, as if to teach the original possessors the wisdom of inclining to the stronger side.
familynounUS /ˈfæməli/
a social unit living together
From this reading A savour of North Sea foam and ballad pirates hangs about the early chronicles of the family.
fightingnounUS /ˈfaɪtɪŋ/
the act of fighting; any contest or struggle
From this reading The Honourable Everard Romfrey came of a race of fighting earls, toughest of men, whose high, stout, Western castle had weathered our cyclone periods of history without changeing hands more than once, and then but for a short year or two, as if to teach the original possessors the wisdom of inclining to the stronger side.
foamnounUS /foʊm/
a mass of small bubbles formed in or on a liquid
From this reading A savour of North Sea foam and ballad pirates hangs about the early chronicles of the family.
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The Honourable Everard Romfrey came of a race of fighting earls, toughest of men, whose high, stout, Western castle had weathered our cyclone periods of history without changeing hands more than once, and then but for a short year or two, as if to teach the original possessors the wisdom of inclining to the stronger side.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The Honourable Everard Romfrey came of a race of fighting earls, toughest of men, whose high, stout, Western castle had weathered our cyclone periods of history without changeing hands more than once, and then but for a short year or two, as if to teach the original possessors the wisdom of inclining to the stronger side.
handsnounUS /hændz/
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading The Honourable Everard Romfrey came of a race of fighting earls, toughest of men, whose high, stout, Western castle had weathered our cyclone periods of history without changeing hands more than once, and then but for a short year or two, as if to teach the original possessors the wisdom of inclining to the stronger side.
hangsnounUS /hæŋz/
plural of “hang” — a special way of doing something
From this reading A savour of North Sea foam and ballad pirates hangs about the early chronicles of the family.
hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He died among them—how has not been told.
havingauxiliary verbUS /ˈhævɪŋ/
the -ing form of “have”
From this reading They had a queen’s chamber in it, and a king’s; and they stood well up against the charge of having dealt darkly with the king.
HepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He died among them—how has not been told.
hereadverbUS /hiːr/
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading We will not discuss the conjectures here.
highadjectiveUS /haɪ/
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading The Honourable Everard Romfrey came of a race of fighting earls, toughest of men, whose high, stout, Western castle had weathered our cyclone periods of history without changeing hands more than once, and then but for a short year or two, as if to teach the original possessors the wisdom of inclining to the stronger side.
historynounUS /ˈhɪstəri/
the aggregate of past events
From this reading The Honourable Everard Romfrey came of a race of fighting earls, toughest of men, whose high, stout, Western castle had weathered our cyclone periods of history without changeing hands more than once, and then but for a short year or two, as if to teach the original possessors the wisdom of inclining to the stronger side.
HonourableadjectiveUS /ˈɑːnərəbəl/
worthy of being honored; entitled to honor and respect
From this reading The Honourable Everard Romfrey came of a race of fighting earls, toughest of men, whose high, stout, Western castle had weathered our cyclone periods of history without changeing hands more than once, and then but for a short year or two, as if to teach the original possessors the wisdom of inclining to the stronger side.
how
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He died among them—how has not been told.
ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading The Honourable Everard Romfrey came of a race of fighting earls, toughest of men, whose high, stout, Western castle had weathered our cyclone periods of history without changeing hands more than once, and then but for a short year or two, as if to teach the original possessors the wisdom of inclining to the stronger side.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading They had a queen’s chamber in it, and a king’s; and they stood well up against the charge of having dealt darkly with the king.
incliningnoun
the act of inclining; bending forward
From this reading The Honourable Everard Romfrey came of a race of fighting earls, toughest of men, whose high, stout, Western castle had weathered our cyclone periods of history without changeing hands more than once, and then but for a short year or two, as if to teach the original possessors the wisdom of inclining to the stronger side.
itpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading They had a queen’s chamber in it, and a king’s; and they stood well up against the charge of having dealt darkly with the king.
kingnounUS /kɪŋ/
a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
From this reading They had a queen’s chamber in it, and a king’s; and they stood well up against the charge of having dealt darkly with the king.
king'snounUS /kɪŋz/
possessive form of “king” — a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
From this reading They had a queen’s chamber in it, and a king’s; and they stood well up against the charge of having dealt darkly with the king.
mennounUS /men/
the force of workers available
From this reading The Honourable Everard Romfrey came of a race of fighting earls, toughest of men, whose high, stout, Western castle had weathered our cyclone periods of history without changeing hands more than once, and then but for a short year or two, as if to teach the original possessors the wisdom of inclining to the stronger side.
moreadjectiveUS /mɔːr/
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading The Honourable Everard Romfrey came of a race of fighting earls, toughest of men, whose high, stout, Western castle had weathered our cyclone periods of history without changeing hands more than once, and then but for a short year or two, as if to teach the original possessors the wisdom of inclining to the stronger side.
NorthnounUS /nɔːrθ/
the region of the United States lying to the north of the Mason-Dixon line
From this reading A savour of North Sea foam and ballad pirates hangs about the early chronicles of the family.
notadverbUS /nɑːt/
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He died among them—how has not been told.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The Honourable Everard Romfrey came of a race of fighting earls, toughest of men, whose high, stout, Western castle had weathered our cyclone periods of history without changeing hands more than once, and then but for a short year or two, as if to teach the original possessors the wisdom of inclining to the stronger side.
onceadverbUS /wʌns/
on one occasion
From this reading The Honourable Everard Romfrey came of a race of fighting earls, toughest of men, whose high, stout, Western castle had weathered our cyclone periods of history without changeing hands more than once, and then but for a short year or two, as if to teach the original possessors the wisdom of inclining to the stronger side.
orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading The Honourable Everard Romfrey came of a race of fighting earls, toughest of men, whose high, stout, Western castle had weathered our cyclone periods of history without changeing hands more than once, and then but for a short year or two, as if to teach the original possessors the wisdom of inclining to the stronger side.
originaladjectiveUS /ərˈɪdʒənəl/
preceding all others in time or being as first made or performed
From this reading The Honourable Everard Romfrey came of a race of fighting earls, toughest of men, whose high, stout, Western castle had weathered our cyclone periods of history without changeing hands more than once, and then but for a short year or two, as if to teach the original possessors the wisdom of inclining to the stronger side.
ourdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading The Honourable Everard Romfrey came of a race of fighting earls, toughest of men, whose high, stout, Western castle had weathered our cyclone periods of history without changeing hands more than once, and then but for a short year or two, as if to teach the original possessors the wisdom of inclining to the stronger side.
periodsnounUS /ˈpɪriədz/
plural of “period” — an amount of time
From this reading The Honourable Everard Romfrey came of a race of fighting earls, toughest of men, whose high, stout, Western castle had weathered our cyclone periods of history without changeing hands more than once, and then but for a short year or two, as if to teach the original possessors the wisdom of inclining to the stronger side.
piratesnounUS /ˈpaɪrəts/
plural of “pirate” — someone who uses another person's words or ideas as if they were his own
From this reading A savour of North Sea foam and ballad pirates hangs about the early chronicles of the family.
possessors
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Honourable Everard Romfrey came of a race of fighting earls, toughest of men, whose high, stout, Western castle had weathered our cyclone periods of history without changeing hands more than once, and then but for a short year or two, as if to teach the original possessors the wisdom of inclining to the stronger side.
queen'snounUS /kwiːnz/
possessive form of “queen” — 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 They had a queen’s chamber in it, and a king’s; and they stood well up against the charge of having dealt darkly with the king.
racenounUS /reɪs/
any competition
From this reading The Honourable Everard Romfrey came of a race of fighting earls, toughest of men, whose high, stout, Western castle had weathered our cyclone periods of history without changeing hands more than once, and then but for a short year or two, as if to teach the original possessors the wisdom of inclining to the stronger side.
Romfrey
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Honourable Everard Romfrey came of a race of fighting earls, toughest of men, whose high, stout, Western castle had weathered our cyclone periods of history without changeing hands more than once, and then but for a short year or two, as if to teach the original possessors the wisdom of inclining to the stronger side.
savourverb
have flavor; taste of something
From this reading A savour of North Sea foam and ballad pirates hangs about the early chronicles of the family.
SeanounUS /siː/
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading A savour of North Sea foam and ballad pirates hangs about the early chronicles of the family.
shortadjectiveUS /ʃɔːrt/
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading The Honourable Everard Romfrey came of a race of fighting earls, toughest of men, whose high, stout, Western castle had weathered our cyclone periods of history without changeing hands more than once, and then but for a short year or two, as if to teach the original possessors the wisdom of inclining to the stronger side.
sidenounUS /saɪd/
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading The Honourable Everard Romfrey came of a race of fighting earls, toughest of men, whose high, stout, Western castle had weathered our cyclone periods of history without changeing hands more than once, and then but for a short year or two, as if to teach the original possessors the wisdom of inclining to the stronger side.
stoodverbUS /stʊd/
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading They had a queen’s chamber in it, and a king’s; and they stood well up against the charge of having dealt darkly with the king.
stoutadjectiveUS /staʊt/
dependable
From this reading The Honourable Everard Romfrey came of a race of fighting earls, toughest of men, whose high, stout, Western castle had weathered our cyclone periods of history without changeing hands more than once, and then but for a short year or two, as if to teach the original possessors the wisdom of inclining to the stronger side.
strongeradjectiveUS /ˈstrɔːŋər/
comparative of “strong” — having strength or power greater than average or expected
From this reading The Honourable Everard Romfrey came of a race of fighting earls, toughest of men, whose high, stout, Western castle had weathered our cyclone periods of history without changeing hands more than once, and then but for a short year or two, as if to teach the original possessors the wisdom of inclining to the stronger side.
teachverbUS /tiːtʃ/
impart skills or knowledge to
From this reading The Honourable Everard Romfrey came of a race of fighting earls, toughest of men, whose high, stout, Western castle had weathered our cyclone periods of history without changeing hands more than once, and then but for a short year or two, as if to teach the original possessors the wisdom of inclining to the stronger side.
thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading The Honourable Everard Romfrey came of a race of fighting earls, toughest of men, whose high, stout, Western castle had weathered our cyclone periods of history without changeing hands more than once, and then but for a short year or two, as if to teach the original possessors the wisdom of inclining to the stronger side.
ThedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Honourable Everard Romfrey came of a race of fighting earls, toughest of men, whose high, stout, Western castle had weathered our cyclone periods of history without changeing hands more than once, and then but for a short year or two, as if to teach the original possessors the wisdom of inclining to the stronger side.
thempronounUS /ðem/
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading He died among them—how has not been told.
thenadverbUS /ðen/
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading The Honourable Everard Romfrey came of a race of fighting earls, toughest of men, whose high, stout, Western castle had weathered our cyclone periods of history without changeing hands more than once, and then but for a short year or two, as if to teach the original possessors the wisdom of inclining to the stronger side.
TheypronounUS /ðeɪ/
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They had a queen’s chamber in it, and a king’s; and they stood well up against the charge of having dealt darkly with the king.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The Honourable Everard Romfrey came of a race of fighting earls, toughest of men, whose high, stout, Western castle had weathered our cyclone periods of history without changeing hands more than once, and then but for a short year or two, as if to teach the original possessors the wisdom of inclining to the stronger side.
toldverbUS /toʊld/
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading He died among them—how has not been told.
toughestadjectiveUS /ˈtʌfəst/
superlative of “tough” — not given to gentleness or sentimentality
From this reading The Honourable Everard Romfrey came of a race of fighting earls, toughest of men, whose high, stout, Western castle had weathered our cyclone periods of history without changeing hands more than once, and then but for a short year or two, as if to teach the original possessors the wisdom of inclining to the stronger side.
twonounUS /tuː/
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading The Honourable Everard Romfrey came of a race of fighting earls, toughest of men, whose high, stout, Western castle had weathered our cyclone periods of history without changeing hands more than once, and then but for a short year or two, as if to teach the original possessors the wisdom of inclining to the stronger side.
upadjectiveUS /ʌp/
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading They had a queen’s chamber in it, and a king’s; and they stood well up against the charge of having dealt darkly with the king.
WepronounUS /wiː/
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We will not discuss the conjectures here.
weatheredadjectiveUS /ˈweðərd/
worn by exposure to the weather
From this reading The Honourable Everard Romfrey came of a race of fighting earls, toughest of men, whose high, stout, Western castle had weathered our cyclone periods of history without changeing hands more than once, and then but for a short year or two, as if to teach the original possessors the wisdom of inclining to the stronger side.
welladverbUS /wel/
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading They had a queen’s chamber in it, and a king’s; and they stood well up against the charge of having dealt darkly with the king.
WesternadjectiveUS /ˈwestərn/
relating to or characteristic of the western parts of the world or the West as opposed to the eastern or oriental parts
From this reading The Honourable Everard Romfrey came of a race of fighting earls, toughest of men, whose high, stout, Western castle had weathered our cyclone periods of history without changeing hands more than once, and then but for a short year or two, as if to teach the original possessors the wisdom of inclining to the stronger side.
whosedeterminerUS /huːz/
belonging to which person
From this reading The Honourable Everard Romfrey came of a race of fighting earls, toughest of men, whose high, stout, Western castle had weathered our cyclone periods of history without changeing hands more than once, and then but for a short year or two, as if to teach the original possessors the wisdom of inclining to the stronger side.
willmodal verbUS /wɪl/
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading We will not discuss the conjectures here.
wisdomnounUS /ˈwɪzdəm/
accumulated knowledge or erudition or enlightenment
From this reading The Honourable Everard Romfrey came of a race of fighting earls, toughest of men, whose high, stout, Western castle had weathered our cyclone periods of history without changeing hands more than once, and then but for a short year or two, as if to teach the original possessors the wisdom of inclining to the stronger side.
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading They had a queen’s chamber in it, and a king’s; and they stood well up against the charge of having dealt darkly with the king.
withoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading The Honourable Everard Romfrey came of a race of fighting earls, toughest of men, whose high, stout, Western castle had weathered our cyclone periods of history without changeing hands more than once, and then but for a short year or two, as if to teach the original possessors the wisdom of inclining to the stronger side.
yearnounUS /jɪr/
a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading The Honourable Everard Romfrey came of a race of fighting earls, toughest of men, whose high, stout, Western castle had weathered our cyclone periods of history without changeing hands more than once, and then but for a short year or two, as if to teach the original possessors the wisdom of inclining to the stronger side.
