used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading It secured a wealthy and timorous nation from the incursions of barbarians, whose unskilfulness in arts made it easier for them to supply their wants by rapine than by industry, and who, from time to time, poured in upon the habitations of peaceful commerce, as vultures descend upon domestick fowl.
adequateadjectiveUS /ˈædəkwət/
having the requisite qualities or resources to meet a task
From this reading "But, for the pyramids, no reason has ever been given adequate to the cost and labour of the work.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "We have now," said Imlac, "gratified our minds with an exact view of the greatest work of man, except the wall of China.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It secured a wealthy and timorous nation from the incursions of barbarians, whose unskilfulness in arts made it easier for them to supply their wants by rapine than by industry, and who, from time to time, poured in upon the habitations of peaceful commerce, as vultures descend upon domestick fowl.
artsnounUS /ɑːrts/
studies intended to provide general knowledge and intellectual skills (rather than occupational or professional skills)
From this reading It secured a wealthy and timorous nation from the incursions of barbarians, whose unskilfulness in arts made it easier for them to supply their wants by rapine than by industry, and who, from time to time, poured in upon the habitations of peaceful commerce, as vultures descend upon domestick fowl.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading It secured a wealthy and timorous nation from the incursions of barbarians, whose unskilfulness in arts made it easier for them to supply their wants by rapine than by industry, and who, from time to time, poured in upon the habitations of peaceful commerce, as vultures descend upon domestick fowl.
assignverbUS /əˈsaɪn/
give an assignment to (a person) to a post, or assign a task to (a person)
From this reading "Of the wall it is very easy to assign the motive.
barbariansnounUS /bɑːrˈberiənz/
plural of “barbarian” — a member of an uncivilized people
From this reading It secured a wealthy and timorous nation from the incursions of barbarians, whose unskilfulness in arts made it easier for them to supply their wants by rapine than by industry, and who, from time to time, poured in upon the habitations of peaceful commerce, as vultures descend upon domestick fowl.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "But, for the pyramids, no reason has ever been given adequate to the cost and labour of the work.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But, for the pyramids, no reason has ever been given adequate to the cost and labour of the work.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading It secured a wealthy and timorous nation from the incursions of barbarians, whose unskilfulness in arts made it easier for them to supply their wants by rapine than by industry, and who, from time to time, poured in upon the habitations of peaceful commerce, as vultures descend upon domestick fowl.
celeritynounUS /səˈlerəti/
a rate that is rapid
From this reading Their celerity and fierceness, made the wall necessary, and their ignorance made it efficacious.
ChinanounUS /ˈtʃaɪnə/
a communist nation that covers a vast territory in eastern Asia; the most populous country in the world
From this reading "We have now," said Imlac, "gratified our minds with an exact view of the greatest work of man, except the wall of China.
commercenounUS /ˈkɑːmərs/
transactions (sales and purchases) having the objective of supplying commodities (goods and services)
From this reading It secured a wealthy and timorous nation from the incursions of barbarians, whose unskilfulness in arts made it easier for them to supply their wants by rapine than by industry, and who, from time to time, poured in upon the habitations of peaceful commerce, as vultures descend upon domestick fowl.
the total spent for goods or services including money and time and labor
From this reading "But, for the pyramids, no reason has ever been given adequate to the cost and labour of the work.
descendverbUS /dɪˈsend/
move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
From this reading It secured a wealthy and timorous nation from the incursions of barbarians, whose unskilfulness in arts made it easier for them to supply their wants by rapine than by industry, and who, from time to time, poured in upon the habitations of peaceful commerce, as vultures descend upon domestick fowl.
domestick
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It secured a wealthy and timorous nation from the incursions of barbarians, whose unskilfulness in arts made it easier for them to supply their wants by rapine than by industry, and who, from time to time, poured in upon the habitations of peaceful commerce, as vultures descend upon domestick fowl.
easieradjectiveUS /ˈiːziər/
comparative of “easy” — posing no difficulty; requiring little effort
From this reading It secured a wealthy and timorous nation from the incursions of barbarians, whose unskilfulness in arts made it easier for them to supply their wants by rapine than by industry, and who, from time to time, poured in upon the habitations of peaceful commerce, as vultures descend upon domestick fowl.
posing no difficulty; requiring little effort
From this reading "Of the wall it is very easy to assign the motive.
efficaciousadjectiveUS /ˌefəˈkeɪʃəs/
marked by qualities giving the power to produce an intended effect
From this reading Their celerity and fierceness, made the wall necessary, and their ignorance made it efficacious.
at any time
From this reading "But, for the pyramids, no reason has ever been given adequate to the cost and labour of the work.
exactadjectiveUS /ɪɡˈzækt/
Strictly particular and correct.
From this reading "We have now," said Imlac, "gratified our minds with an exact view of the greatest work of man, except the wall of China.
apart from; not including
From this reading "We have now," said Imlac, "gratified our minds with an exact view of the greatest work of man, except the wall of China.
fiercenessnoun
the property of being wild or turbulent
From this reading Their celerity and fierceness, made the wall necessary, and their ignorance made it efficacious.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading It secured a wealthy and timorous nation from the incursions of barbarians, whose unskilfulness in arts made it easier for them to supply their wants by rapine than by industry, and who, from time to time, poured in upon the habitations of peaceful commerce, as vultures descend upon domestick fowl.
fowlnounUS /faʊl/
a domesticated gallinaceous bird thought to be descended from the red jungle fowl
From this reading It secured a wealthy and timorous nation from the incursions of barbarians, whose unskilfulness in arts made it easier for them to supply their wants by rapine than by industry, and who, from time to time, poured in upon the habitations of peaceful commerce, as vultures descend upon domestick fowl.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading It secured a wealthy and timorous nation from the incursions of barbarians, whose unskilfulness in arts made it easier for them to supply their wants by rapine than by industry, and who, from time to time, poured in upon the habitations of peaceful commerce, as vultures descend upon domestick fowl.
givenadjectiveUS /ˈɡɪvən/
acknowledged as a supposition
From this reading "But, for the pyramids, no reason has ever been given adequate to the cost and labour of the work.
gratifiedadjectiveUS /ˈɡrætəfaɪd/
having received what was desired
From this reading "We have now," said Imlac, "gratified our minds with an exact view of the greatest work of man, except the wall of China.
highest in quality
From this reading "We have now," said Imlac, "gratified our minds with an exact view of the greatest work of man, except the wall of China.
habitations
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It secured a wealthy and timorous nation from the incursions of barbarians, whose unskilfulness in arts made it easier for them to supply their wants by rapine than by industry, and who, from time to time, poured in upon the habitations of peaceful commerce, as vultures descend upon domestick fowl.
hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "But, for the pyramids, no reason has ever been given adequate to the cost and labour of the work.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "We have now," said Imlac, "gratified our minds with an exact view of the greatest work of man, except the wall of China.
the lack of knowledge or education
From this reading Their celerity and fierceness, made the wall necessary, and their ignorance made it efficacious.
Imlac
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "We have now," said Imlac, "gratified our minds with an exact view of the greatest work of man, except the wall of China.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It secured a wealthy and timorous nation from the incursions of barbarians, whose unskilfulness in arts made it easier for them to supply their wants by rapine than by industry, and who, from time to time, poured in upon the habitations of peaceful commerce, as vultures descend upon domestick fowl.
incursionsnounUS /ˌɪnˈkɜːrʒənz/
plural of “incursion” — the act of entering some territory or domain (often in large numbers)
From this reading It secured a wealthy and timorous nation from the incursions of barbarians, whose unskilfulness in arts made it easier for them to supply their wants by rapine than by industry, and who, from time to time, poured in upon the habitations of peaceful commerce, as vultures descend upon domestick fowl.
industrynounUS /ˈɪndəstri/
the people or companies engaged in a particular kind of commercial enterprise
From this reading It secured a wealthy and timorous nation from the incursions of barbarians, whose unskilfulness in arts made it easier for them to supply their wants by rapine than by industry, and who, from time to time, poured in upon the habitations of peaceful commerce, as vultures descend upon domestick fowl.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Of the wall it is very easy to assign the motive.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Of the wall it is very easy to assign the motive.
a social class comprising those who do manual labor or work for wages
From this reading "But, for the pyramids, no reason has ever been given adequate to the cost and labour of the work.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading It secured a wealthy and timorous nation from the incursions of barbarians, whose unskilfulness in arts made it easier for them to supply their wants by rapine than by industry, and who, from time to time, poured in upon the habitations of peaceful commerce, as vultures descend upon domestick fowl.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "We have now," said Imlac, "gratified our minds with an exact view of the greatest work of man, except the wall of China.
plural of “mind” — that which is responsible for one's thoughts, feelings, and conscious brain functions; the seat of the faculty of reason
From this reading "We have now," said Imlac, "gratified our minds with an exact view of the greatest work of man, except the wall of China.
motivenounUS /ˈmoʊtɪv/
the psychological feature that arouses an organism to action toward a desired goal; the reason for the action; that which gives purpose and direction to behavior
From this reading "Of the wall it is very easy to assign the motive.
a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading It secured a wealthy and timorous nation from the incursions of barbarians, whose unskilfulness in arts made it easier for them to supply their wants by rapine than by industry, and who, from time to time, poured in upon the habitations of peaceful commerce, as vultures descend upon domestick fowl.
absolutely essential
From this reading Their celerity and fierceness, made the wall necessary, and their ignorance made it efficacious.
not any; not one
From this reading "But, for the pyramids, no reason has ever been given adequate to the cost and labour of the work.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "We have now," said Imlac, "gratified our minds with an exact view of the greatest work of man, except the wall of China.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "We have now," said Imlac, "gratified our minds with an exact view of the greatest work of man, except the wall of China.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading "We have now," said Imlac, "gratified our minds with an exact view of the greatest work of man, except the wall of China.
peacefuladjectiveUS /ˈpiːsfəl/
not disturbed by strife or turmoil or war
From this reading It secured a wealthy and timorous nation from the incursions of barbarians, whose unskilfulness in arts made it easier for them to supply their wants by rapine than by industry, and who, from time to time, poured in upon the habitations of peaceful commerce, as vultures descend upon domestick fowl.
past form of “pour” — cause to run
From this reading It secured a wealthy and timorous nation from the incursions of barbarians, whose unskilfulness in arts made it easier for them to supply their wants by rapine than by industry, and who, from time to time, poured in upon the habitations of peaceful commerce, as vultures descend upon domestick fowl.
pyramidsnounUS /ˈpɪrəmɪdz/
plural of “pyramid” — a polyhedron having a polygonal base and triangular sides with a common vertex
From this reading "But, for the pyramids, no reason has ever been given adequate to the cost and labour of the work.
rapinenoun
the act of despoiling a country in warfare
From this reading It secured a wealthy and timorous nation from the incursions of barbarians, whose unskilfulness in arts made it easier for them to supply their wants by rapine than by industry, and who, from time to time, poured in upon the habitations of peaceful commerce, as vultures descend upon domestick fowl.
a rational motive for a belief or action
From this reading "But, for the pyramids, no reason has ever been given adequate to the cost and labour of the work.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "We have now," said Imlac, "gratified our minds with an exact view of the greatest work of man, except the wall of China.
securedverbUS /sɪˈkjʊrd/
past form of “secure” — get by special effort
From this reading It secured a wealthy and timorous nation from the incursions of barbarians, whose unskilfulness in arts made it easier for them to supply their wants by rapine than by industry, and who, from time to time, poured in upon the habitations of peaceful commerce, as vultures descend upon domestick fowl.
give something useful or necessary to
From this reading It secured a wealthy and timorous nation from the incursions of barbarians, whose unskilfulness in arts made it easier for them to supply their wants by rapine than by industry, and who, from time to time, poured in upon the habitations of peaceful commerce, as vultures descend upon domestick fowl.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading It secured a wealthy and timorous nation from the incursions of barbarians, whose unskilfulness in arts made it easier for them to supply their wants by rapine than by industry, and who, from time to time, poured in upon the habitations of peaceful commerce, as vultures descend upon domestick fowl.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "We have now," said Imlac, "gratified our minds with an exact view of the greatest work of man, except the wall of China.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading It secured a wealthy and timorous nation from the incursions of barbarians, whose unskilfulness in arts made it easier for them to supply their wants by rapine than by industry, and who, from time to time, poured in upon the habitations of peaceful commerce, as vultures descend upon domestick fowl.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading It secured a wealthy and timorous nation from the incursions of barbarians, whose unskilfulness in arts made it easier for them to supply their wants by rapine than by industry, and who, from time to time, poured in upon the habitations of peaceful commerce, as vultures descend upon domestick fowl.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading It secured a wealthy and timorous nation from the incursions of barbarians, whose unskilfulness in arts made it easier for them to supply their wants by rapine than by industry, and who, from time to time, poured in upon the habitations of peaceful commerce, as vultures descend upon domestick fowl.
timorousadjectiveUS /ˈtɪmərəs/
timid by nature or revealing timidity
From this reading It secured a wealthy and timorous nation from the incursions of barbarians, whose unskilfulness in arts made it easier for them to supply their wants by rapine than by industry, and who, from time to time, poured in upon the habitations of peaceful commerce, as vultures descend upon domestick fowl.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Of the wall it is very easy to assign the motive.
unskilfulness
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It secured a wealthy and timorous nation from the incursions of barbarians, whose unskilfulness in arts made it easier for them to supply their wants by rapine than by industry, and who, from time to time, poured in upon the habitations of peaceful commerce, as vultures descend upon domestick fowl.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading It secured a wealthy and timorous nation from the incursions of barbarians, whose unskilfulness in arts made it easier for them to supply their wants by rapine than by industry, and who, from time to time, poured in upon the habitations of peaceful commerce, as vultures descend upon domestick fowl.
precisely as stated
From this reading "Of the wall it is very easy to assign the motive.
a way of regarding situations or topics etc.
From this reading "We have now," said Imlac, "gratified our minds with an exact view of the greatest work of man, except the wall of China.
vulturesnounUS /ˈvʌltʃərz/
plural of “vulture” — any of various large diurnal birds of prey having naked heads and weak claws and feeding chiefly on carrion
From this reading It secured a wealthy and timorous nation from the incursions of barbarians, whose unskilfulness in arts made it easier for them to supply their wants by rapine than by industry, and who, from time to time, poured in upon the habitations of peaceful commerce, as vultures descend upon domestick fowl.
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 "We have now," said Imlac, "gratified our minds with an exact view of the greatest work of man, except the wall of China.
plural of “want” — a state of extreme poverty
From this reading It secured a wealthy and timorous nation from the incursions of barbarians, whose unskilfulness in arts made it easier for them to supply their wants by rapine than by industry, and who, from time to time, poured in upon the habitations of peaceful commerce, as vultures descend upon domestick fowl.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "We have now," said Imlac, "gratified our minds with an exact view of the greatest work of man, except the wall of China.
wealthyadjectiveUS /ˈwelθi/
having an abundant supply of money or possessions of value
From this reading It secured a wealthy and timorous nation from the incursions of barbarians, whose unskilfulness in arts made it easier for them to supply their wants by rapine than by industry, and who, from time to time, poured in upon the habitations of peaceful commerce, as vultures descend upon domestick fowl.
which person or people
From this reading It secured a wealthy and timorous nation from the incursions of barbarians, whose unskilfulness in arts made it easier for them to supply their wants by rapine than by industry, and who, from time to time, poured in upon the habitations of peaceful commerce, as vultures descend upon domestick fowl.
belonging to which person
From this reading It secured a wealthy and timorous nation from the incursions of barbarians, whose unskilfulness in arts made it easier for them to supply their wants by rapine than by industry, and who, from time to time, poured in upon the habitations of peaceful commerce, as vultures descend upon domestick fowl.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "We have now," said Imlac, "gratified our minds with an exact view of the greatest work of man, except the wall of China.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading "We have now," said Imlac, "gratified our minds with an exact view of the greatest work of man, except the wall of China.
