used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The Alamo church, the principal building of the mission, was built in the form of a cross, of rough stone, with walls several feet thick.
AlamonounUS /ˈæləmoʊ/
a siege and massacre at a mission in San Antonio in 1836; Mexican forces under Santa Anna besieged and massacred American rebels who were fighting to make Texas independent of Mexico
From this reading The Alamo church, the principal building of the mission, was built in the form of a cross, of rough stone, with walls several feet thick.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The sides of the church were over twenty feet high, and the windows were exceedingly narrow, for the building had been built to resist attacks by the Indians.
Antonio
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It faced both the river and San Antonio proper.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At the time of the battle which was to witness its downfall the centre of the structure was roofless, but the ends were well covered.
attacksnounUS /əˈtæks/
plural of “attack” — (military) an offensive against an enemy (using weapons)
From this reading The sides of the church were over twenty feet high, and the windows were exceedingly narrow, for the building had been built to resist attacks by the Indians.
a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war
From this reading At the time of the battle which was to witness its downfall the centre of the structure was roofless, but the ends were well covered.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The sides of the church were over twenty feet high, and the windows were exceedingly narrow, for the building had been built to resist attacks by the Indians.
the two together, not just one
From this reading It faced both the river and San Antonio proper.
a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place
From this reading The Alamo church, the principal building of the mission, was built in the form of a cross, of rough stone, with walls several feet thick.
(used of soaps or cleaning agents) having a substance (an abrasive or filler) added to increase effectiveness
From this reading The Alamo church, the principal building of the mission, was built in the form of a cross, of rough stone, with walls several feet thick.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading At the time of the battle which was to witness its downfall the centre of the structure was roofless, but the ends were well covered.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The sides of the church were over twenty feet high, and the windows were exceedingly narrow, for the building had been built to resist attacks by the Indians.
a low-lying region in central France
From this reading At the time of the battle which was to witness its downfall the centre of the structure was roofless, but the ends were well covered.
one of the groups of Christians who have their own beliefs and forms of worship
From this reading The Alamo church, the principal building of the mission, was built in the form of a cross, of rough stone, with walls several feet thick.
overlaid or spread or topped with or enclosed within something; sometimes used as a combining form
From this reading At the time of the battle which was to witness its downfall the centre of the structure was roofless, but the ends were well covered.
travel across or pass over
From this reading The Alamo church, the principal building of the mission, was built in the form of a cross, of rough stone, with walls several feet thick.
downfallnounUS /ˈdaʊnfɔːl/
failure that results in a loss of position or reputation
From this reading At the time of the battle which was to witness its downfall the centre of the structure was roofless, but the ends were well covered.
plural of “end” — either extremity of something that has length
From this reading At the time of the battle which was to witness its downfall the centre of the structure was roofless, but the ends were well covered.
to an extreme degree
From this reading The sides of the church were over twenty feet high, and the windows were exceedingly narrow, for the building had been built to resist attacks by the Indians.
having a face or facing especially of a specified kind or number; often used in combination
From this reading It faced both the river and San Antonio proper.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading The Alamo church, the principal building of the mission, was built in the form of a cross, of rough stone, with walls several feet thick.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The sides of the church were over twenty feet high, and the windows were exceedingly narrow, for the building had been built to resist attacks by the Indians.
the phonological or orthographic sound or appearance of a word that can be used to describe or identify something
From this reading The Alamo church, the principal building of the mission, was built in the form of a cross, of rough stone, with walls several feet thick.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The sides of the church were over twenty feet high, and the windows were exceedingly narrow, for the building had been built to resist attacks by the Indians.
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading The sides of the church were over twenty feet high, and the windows were exceedingly narrow, for the building had been built to resist attacks by the Indians.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The Alamo church, the principal building of the mission, was built in the form of a cross, of rough stone, with walls several feet thick.
plural of “indian” — a native or inhabitant of India
From this reading The sides of the church were over twenty feet high, and the windows were exceedingly narrow, for the building had been built to resist attacks by the Indians.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It faced both the river and San Antonio proper.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading At the time of the battle which was to witness its downfall the centre of the structure was roofless, but the ends were well covered.
an organization of missionaries in a foreign land sent to carry on religious work
From this reading WITHIN THE WALLS OF THE MISSION.
make or become more narrow or restricted
From this reading The sides of the church were over twenty feet high, and the windows were exceedingly narrow, for the building had been built to resist attacks by the Indians.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading WITHIN THE WALLS OF THE MISSION.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading The sides of the church were over twenty feet high, and the windows were exceedingly narrow, for the building had been built to resist attacks by the Indians.
the original amount of a debt on which interest is calculated
From this reading The Alamo church, the principal building of the mission, was built in the form of a cross, of rough stone, with walls several feet thick.
marked by suitability or rightness or appropriateness
From this reading It faced both the river and San Antonio proper.
elude, especially in a baffling way
From this reading The sides of the church were over twenty feet high, and the windows were exceedingly narrow, for the building had been built to resist attacks by the Indians.
a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)
From this reading It faced both the river and San Antonio proper.
rooflessadjective
not having a roof
From this reading At the time of the battle which was to witness its downfall the centre of the structure was roofless, but the ends were well covered.
having or caused by an irregular surface
From this reading The Alamo church, the principal building of the mission, was built in the form of a cross, of rough stone, with walls several feet thick.
San
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It faced both the river and San Antonio proper.
(used with count nouns) of an indefinite number more than 2 or 3 but not many
From this reading The Alamo church, the principal building of the mission, was built in the form of a cross, of rough stone, with walls several feet thick.
plural of “side” — a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading The sides of the church were over twenty feet high, and the windows were exceedingly narrow, for the building had been built to resist attacks by the Indians.
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading The Alamo church, the principal building of the mission, was built in the form of a cross, of rough stone, with walls several feet thick.
structurenounUS /ˈstrʌktʃər/
a thing constructed; a complex entity constructed of many parts
From this reading At the time of the battle which was to witness its downfall the centre of the structure was roofless, but the ends were well covered.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading WITHIN THE WALLS OF THE MISSION.
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 The Alamo church, the principal building of the mission, was built in the form of a cross, of rough stone, with walls several feet thick.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading At the time of the battle which was to witness its downfall the centre of the structure was roofless, but the ends were well covered.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading At the time of the battle which was to witness its downfall the centre of the structure was roofless, but the ends were well covered.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nineteen and one
From this reading The sides of the church were over twenty feet high, and the windows were exceedingly narrow, for the building had been built to resist attacks by the Indians.
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 WITHIN THE WALLS OF THE MISSION.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The Alamo church, the principal building of the mission, was built in the form of a cross, of rough stone, with walls several feet thick.
(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 At the time of the battle which was to witness its downfall the centre of the structure was roofless, but the ends were well covered.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading At the time of the battle which was to witness its downfall the centre of the structure was roofless, but the ends were well covered.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading At the time of the battle which was to witness its downfall the centre of the structure was roofless, but the ends were well covered.
(trademark) an operating system with a graphical user interface
From this reading The sides of the church were over twenty feet high, and the windows were exceedingly narrow, for the building had been built to resist attacks by the Indians.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The Alamo church, the principal building of the mission, was built in the form of a cross, of rough stone, with walls several feet thick.
inside; before a period of time has passed
From this reading WITHIN THE WALLS OF THE MISSION.
someone who sees an event and reports what happened
From this reading At the time of the battle which was to witness its downfall the centre of the structure was roofless, but the ends were well covered.
