used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading It was some sixty feet in length and conducted us into a small but most remarkable grotto, or rather a series of grottoes.
ABANDONverbUS /əˈbændən/
forsake, leave behind
From this reading I ABANDON HOPE At last Milton and I arose and proceeded to examine carefully this chamber of carven horrors.
farther along in physical or mental development
From this reading We advanced, however, but a little way there; a few minutes, and we were again in the hall of the dragon.
anew
From this reading We advanced, however, but a little way there; a few minutes, and we were again in the hall of the dragon.
altarnounUS /ˈɔːltər/
the table in Christian churches where communion is given
From this reading By the altar, another passage was discovered.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I ABANDON HOPE At last Milton and I arose and proceeded to examine carefully this chamber of carven horrors.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading By the altar, another passage was discovered.
inflected form of “arise” — come into existence; take on form or shape
From this reading I ABANDON HOPE At last Milton and I arose and proceeded to examine carefully this chamber of carven horrors.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading I ABANDON HOPE At last Milton and I arose and proceeded to examine carefully this chamber of carven horrors.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Like the great chamber itself and the passage by which we had entered, this tunnel had been hewn out of the living rock by the hand of man.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading It was some sixty feet in length and conducted us into a small but most remarkable grotto, or rather a series of grottoes.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading By the altar, another passage was discovered.
taking care or paying attention
From this reading I ABANDON HOPE At last Milton and I arose and proceeded to examine carefully this chamber of carven horrors.
carvenadjective
made for or formed by carving (“carven” is archaic or literary)
From this reading I ABANDON HOPE At last Milton and I arose and proceeded to examine carefully this chamber of carven horrors.
a natural or artificial enclosed space
From this reading I ABANDON HOPE At last Milton and I arose and proceeded to examine carefully this chamber of carven horrors.
conductedverbUS /kənˈdʌktəd/
past form of “conduct” — direct the course of; manage or control
From this reading It was some sixty feet in length and conducted us into a small but most remarkable grotto, or rather a series of grottoes.
discovered or determined by scientific observation
From this reading By the altar, another passage was discovered.
dragonnounUS /ˈdræɡən/
a creature of Teutonic mythology; usually represented as breathing fire and having a reptilian body and sometimes wings
From this reading We advanced, however, but a little way there; a few minutes, and we were again in the hall of the dragon.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading Like the great chamber itself and the passage by which we had entered, this tunnel had been hewn out of the living rock by the hand of man.
examineverbUS /ɪɡˈzæmɪn/
consider in detail and subject to an analysis in order to discover essential features or meaning
From this reading I ABANDON HOPE At last Milton and I arose and proceeded to examine carefully this chamber of carven horrors.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading It was some sixty feet in length and conducted us into a small but most remarkable grotto, or rather a series of grottoes.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading We advanced, however, but a little way there; a few minutes, and we were again in the hall of the dragon.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading Like the great chamber itself and the passage by which we had entered, this tunnel had been hewn out of the living rock by the hand of man.
grottonounUS /ˈɡrɑːtoʊ/
a small cave (usually with attractive features)
From this reading It was some sixty feet in length and conducted us into a small but most remarkable grotto, or rather a series of grottoes.
grottoes
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was some sixty feet in length and conducted us into a small but most remarkable grotto, or rather a series of grottoes.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Like the great chamber itself and the passage by which we had entered, this tunnel had been hewn out of the living rock by the hand of man.
an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open
From this reading We advanced, however, but a little way there; a few minutes, and we were again in the hall of the dragon.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading Like the great chamber itself and the passage by which we had entered, this tunnel had been hewn out of the living rock by the hand of man.
hewnadjectiveUS /hjuːn/
cut or shaped with hard blows of a heavy cutting instrument like an ax or chisel
From this reading Like the great chamber itself and the passage by which we had entered, this tunnel had been hewn out of the living rock by the hand of man.
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading I ABANDON HOPE At last Milton and I arose and proceeded to examine carefully this chamber of carven horrors.
horrorsnounUS /ˈhɔːrərz/
plural of “horror” — intense and profound fear
From this reading I ABANDON HOPE At last Milton and I arose and proceeded to examine carefully this chamber of carven horrors.
used to add a contrasting statement
From this reading We advanced, however, but a little way there; a few minutes, and we were again in the hall of the dragon.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I ABANDON HOPE At last Milton and I arose and proceeded to examine carefully this chamber of carven horrors.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It was some sixty feet in length and conducted us into a small but most remarkable grotto, or rather a series of grottoes.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading It was some sixty feet in length and conducted us into a small but most remarkable grotto, or rather a series of grottoes.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was some sixty feet in length and conducted us into a small but most remarkable grotto, or rather a series of grottoes.
used when the thing doing the action is also its object
From this reading Like the great chamber itself and the passage by which we had entered, this tunnel had been hewn out of the living rock by the hand of man.
immediately past
From this reading I ABANDON HOPE At last Milton and I arose and proceeded to examine carefully this chamber of carven horrors.
the linear extent in space from one end to the other; the longest dimension of something that is fixed in place
From this reading It was some sixty feet in length and conducted us into a small but most remarkable grotto, or rather a series of grottoes.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Like the great chamber itself and the passage by which we had entered, this tunnel had been hewn out of the living rock by the hand of man.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading We advanced, however, but a little way there; a few minutes, and we were again in the hall of the dragon.
the experience of being alive; the course of human events and activities
From this reading Like the great chamber itself and the passage by which we had entered, this tunnel had been hewn out of the living rock by the hand of man.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Like the great chamber itself and the passage by which we had entered, this tunnel had been hewn out of the living rock by the hand of man.
MiltonnounUS /ˈmɪltən/
English poet; remembered primarily as the author of an epic poem describing humanity's fall from grace (1608-1674)
From this reading I ABANDON HOPE At last Milton and I arose and proceeded to examine carefully this chamber of carven horrors.
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading We advanced, however, but a little way there; a few minutes, and we were again in the hall of the dragon.
used to form the superlative
From this reading It was some sixty feet in length and conducted us into a small but most remarkable grotto, or rather a series of grottoes.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I ABANDON HOPE At last Milton and I arose and proceeded to examine carefully this chamber of carven horrors.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading It was some sixty feet in length and conducted us into a small but most remarkable grotto, or rather a series of grottoes.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Like the great chamber itself and the passage by which we had entered, this tunnel had been hewn out of the living rock by the hand of man.
the act of passing from one state or place to the next
From this reading By the altar, another passage was discovered.
past form of “proceed” — continue talking
From this reading I ABANDON HOPE At last Milton and I arose and proceeded to examine carefully this chamber of carven horrors.
on the contrary
From this reading It was some sixty feet in length and conducted us into a small but most remarkable grotto, or rather a series of grottoes.
unusual or striking
From this reading It was some sixty feet in length and conducted us into a small but most remarkable grotto, or rather a series of grottoes.
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading Like the great chamber itself and the passage by which we had entered, this tunnel had been hewn out of the living rock by the hand of man.
similar things placed in order or happening one after another
From this reading It was some sixty feet in length and conducted us into a small but most remarkable grotto, or rather a series of grottoes.
sixtyadjectiveUS /ˈsɪksti/
being ten more than fifty
From this reading It was some sixty feet in length and conducted us into a small but most remarkable grotto, or rather a series of grottoes.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading It was some sixty feet in length and conducted us into a small but most remarkable grotto, or rather a series of grottoes.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading It was some sixty feet in length and conducted us into a small but most remarkable grotto, or rather a series of grottoes.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading By the altar, another passage was discovered.
in or at that place or location
From this reading We advanced, however, but a little way there; a few minutes, and we were again in the hall of the dragon.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading I ABANDON HOPE At last Milton and I arose and proceeded to examine carefully this chamber of carven horrors.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I ABANDON HOPE At last Milton and I arose and proceeded to examine carefully this chamber of carven horrors.
tunnelverbUS /ˈtʌnəl/
move through by or as by digging
From this reading Like the great chamber itself and the passage by which we had entered, this tunnel had been hewn out of the living rock by the hand of man.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It was some sixty feet in length and conducted us into a small but most remarkable grotto, or rather a series of grottoes.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading By the altar, another passage was discovered.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading We advanced, however, but a little way there; a few minutes, and we were again in the hall of the dragon.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading Like the great chamber itself and the passage by which we had entered, this tunnel had been hewn out of the living rock by the hand of man.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading We advanced, however, but a little way there; a few minutes, and we were again in the hall of the dragon.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Like the great chamber itself and the passage by which we had entered, this tunnel had been hewn out of the living rock by the hand of man.
