aboveprepositionUS /əˈbʌv/
higher than, or over, something
From this reading But still the great Euphrates brawled through the massy water gates; still the battlements loomed unapproachable above the besiegers’ heads!
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading They had ravaged far and wide, had driven the country folk by thousands inside the defences; the thriving villages were become one blackened waste.
batteringnounUS /ˈbætərɪŋ/
the act of subjecting to strong attack
From this reading The battering ram?
battlementsnounUS /ˈbætəlmənts/
plural of “battlement” — a rampart built around the top of a castle with regular gaps for firing arrows or guns
From this reading But still the great Euphrates brawled through the massy water gates; still the battlements loomed unapproachable above the besiegers’ heads!
enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading They had ravaged far and wide, had driven the country folk by thousands inside the defences; the thriving villages were become one blackened waste.
Belshazzarnoun
(Old Testament) Babylonian general and son of Nebuchadnezzar II; according to the Old Testament he was warned of his doom by divine handwriting on the wall that was interpreted by Daniel (6th century BC)
From this reading What had Belshazzar and his city to fear?
besiegers
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But still the great Euphrates brawled through the massy water gates; still the battlements loomed unapproachable above the besiegers’ heads!
blackenedadjectiveUS /ˈblækənd/
darkened by smoke
From this reading They had ravaged far and wide, had driven the country folk by thousands inside the defences; the thriving villages were become one blackened waste.
brawled
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But still the great Euphrates brawled through the massy water gates; still the battlements loomed unapproachable above the besiegers’ heads!
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But still the great Euphrates brawled through the massy water gates; still the battlements loomed unapproachable above the besiegers’ heads!
showing who or what does the action
From this reading They had ravaged far and wide, had driven the country folk by thousands inside the defences; the thriving villages were become one blackened waste.
assets available for use in the production of further assets
From this reading Three months nearly had the host of the Persians lain under the walls of the capital.
a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts
From this reading What had Belshazzar and his city to fear?
a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading They had ravaged far and wide, had driven the country folk by thousands inside the defences; the thriving villages were become one blackened waste.
defences
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They had ravaged far and wide, had driven the country folk by thousands inside the defences; the thriving villages were become one blackened waste.
compelled forcibly by an outside agency
From this reading They had ravaged far and wide, had driven the country folk by thousands inside the defences; the thriving villages were become one blackened waste.
EuphratesnounUS /juːˈfreɪtiz/
a river in southwestern Asia; flows into the Persian Gulf; was important in the development of several great civilizations in ancient Mesopotamia
From this reading But still the great Euphrates brawled through the massy water gates; still the battlements loomed unapproachable above the besiegers’ heads!
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading They had ravaged far and wide, had driven the country folk by thousands inside the defences; the thriving villages were become one blackened waste.
be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading What had Belshazzar and his city to fear?
people in general (often used in the plural)
From this reading They had ravaged far and wide, had driven the country folk by thousands inside the defences; the thriving villages were become one blackened waste.
United States computer entrepreneur whose software company made him the youngest multi-billionaire in the history of the United States (born in 1955)
From this reading But still the great Euphrates brawled through the massy water gates; still the battlements loomed unapproachable above the besiegers’ heads!
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading But still the great Euphrates brawled through the massy water gates; still the battlements loomed unapproachable above the besiegers’ heads!
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Three months nearly had the host of the Persians lain under the walls of the capital.
plural of “head” — the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading But still the great Euphrates brawled through the massy water gates; still the battlements loomed unapproachable above the besiegers’ heads!
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading What had Belshazzar and his city to fear?
a person who invites guests to a social event (such as a party in his or her own home) and who is responsible for them while they are there
From this reading Three months nearly had the host of the Persians lain under the walls of the capital.
relating to or being on the side closer to the center or within a defined space
From this reading They had ravaged far and wide, had driven the country folk by thousands inside the defences; the thriving villages were become one blackened waste.
lainverbUS /leɪn/
inflected form of “lie” — be located or situated somewhere; occupy a certain position
From this reading Three months nearly had the host of the Persians lain under the walls of the capital.
loomedverbUS /luːmd/
past form of “loom” — come into view indistinctly, often threateningly
From this reading But still the great Euphrates brawled through the massy water gates; still the battlements loomed unapproachable above the besiegers’ heads!
massy
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But still the great Euphrates brawled through the massy water gates; still the battlements loomed unapproachable above the besiegers’ heads!
plural of “month” — one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year
From this reading Three months nearly had the host of the Persians lain under the walls of the capital.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading Three months nearly had the host of the Persians lain under the walls of the capital.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Three months nearly had the host of the Persians lain under the walls of the capital.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading They had ravaged far and wide, had driven the country folk by thousands inside the defences; the thriving villages were become one blackened waste.
PersiansnounUS /ˈpɜːrʒənz/
plural of “persian” — a native or inhabitant of Iran
From this reading Three months nearly had the host of the Persians lain under the walls of the capital.
ramverbUS /ræm/
strike or drive against with a heavy impact
From this reading The battering ram?
ravagedadjectiveUS /ˈrævɪdʒd/
having been robbed and destroyed by force and violence
From this reading They had ravaged far and wide, had driven the country folk by thousands inside the defences; the thriving villages were become one blackened waste.
not in physical motion
From this reading But still the great Euphrates brawled through the massy water gates; still the battlements loomed unapproachable above the besiegers’ heads!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Three months nearly had the host of the Persians lain under the walls of the capital.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They had ravaged far and wide, had driven the country folk by thousands inside the defences; the thriving villages were become one blackened waste.
plural of “thousand” — the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100
From this reading They had ravaged far and wide, had driven the country folk by thousands inside the defences; the thriving villages were become one blackened waste.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading Three months nearly had the host of the Persians lain under the walls of the capital.
thrivingadjectiveUS /ˈθraɪvɪŋ/
very lively and profitable
From this reading They had ravaged far and wide, had driven the country folk by thousands inside the defences; the thriving villages were become one blackened waste.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading But still the great Euphrates brawled through the massy water gates; still the battlements loomed unapproachable above the besiegers’ heads!
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading What had Belshazzar and his city to fear?
unapproachableadjectiveUS /ˌʌnəˈproʊtʃəbəl/
discouraging intimacies; reserved
From this reading But still the great Euphrates brawled through the massy water gates; still the battlements loomed unapproachable above the besiegers’ heads!
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading Three months nearly had the host of the Persians lain under the walls of the capital.
villagesnounUS /ˈvɪlədʒəz/
plural of “village” — a community of people smaller than a town
From this reading They had ravaged far and wide, had driven the country folk by thousands inside the defences; the thriving villages were become one blackened waste.
plural of “wall” — an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure
From this reading Three months nearly had the host of the Persians lain under the walls of the capital.
any materials unused and rejected as worthless or unwanted
From this reading They had ravaged far and wide, had driven the country folk by thousands inside the defences; the thriving villages were become one blackened waste.
binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent
From this reading But still the great Euphrates brawled through the massy water gates; still the battlements loomed unapproachable above the besiegers’ heads!
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They had ravaged far and wide, had driven the country folk by thousands inside the defences; the thriving villages were become one blackened waste.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What had Belshazzar and his city to fear?
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading They had ravaged far and wide, had driven the country folk by thousands inside the defences; the thriving villages were become one blackened waste.
