Chapter IV

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Steam is a giant; electricity is a witch.

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading There is something uncanny about it.

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading ELECTRICITY: THE TELEGRAPH AND THE TELEPHONE The great miracle of the twentieth century is electricity.

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading If the printing press is the brain of civilization and the steam engine is its heart, electric wires are its nervous system.

surrounding, or on every side of, something

From this reading Man writes volumes about electricity; calls it positive and negative and measures it in ohms and volts; gives courses to explain it in his schools and universities; kills criminals, cures the sick, and scatters darkness with it; makes it whirl him through space; compels it to bear his whisper through hundreds of miles, and can make it fly around the entire earth with his written word--and yet no man knows what electricity is.

have

From this reading Man writes volumes about electricity; calls it positive and negative and measures it in ohms and volts; gives courses to explain it in his schools and universities; kills criminals, cures the sick, and scatters darkness with it; makes it whirl him through space; compels it to bear his whisper through hundreds of miles, and can make it fly around the entire earth with his written word--and yet no man knows what electricity is.

that part of the central nervous system that includes all the higher nervous centers; enclosed within the skull; continuous with the spinal cord

From this reading If the printing press is the brain of civilization and the steam engine is its heart, electric wires are its nervous system.

plural of “call” — a telephone connection

From this reading Man writes volumes about electricity; calls it positive and negative and measures it in ohms and volts; gives courses to explain it in his schools and universities; kills criminals, cures the sick, and scatters darkness with it; makes it whirl him through space; compels it to bear his whisper through hundreds of miles, and can make it fly around the entire earth with his written word--and yet no man knows what electricity is.

to be able to, or to be allowed to

From this reading Man writes volumes about electricity; calls it positive and negative and measures it in ohms and volts; gives courses to explain it in his schools and universities; kills criminals, cures the sick, and scatters darkness with it; makes it whirl him through space; compels it to bear his whisper through hundreds of miles, and can make it fly around the entire earth with his written word--and yet no man knows what electricity is.

a period of 100 years

From this reading ELECTRICITY: THE TELEGRAPH AND THE TELEPHONE The great miracle of the twentieth century is electricity.

a society in an advanced state of social development (e.g., with complex legal and political and religious organizations)

From this reading If the printing press is the brain of civilization and the steam engine is its heart, electric wires are its nervous system.

third-person singular of “compel” — force somebody to do something

From this reading Man writes volumes about electricity; calls it positive and negative and measures it in ohms and volts; gives courses to explain it in his schools and universities; kills criminals, cures the sick, and scatters darkness with it; makes it whirl him through space; compels it to bear his whisper through hundreds of miles, and can make it fly around the entire earth with his written word--and yet no man knows what electricity is.

plural of “course” — education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings

From this reading Man writes volumes about electricity; calls it positive and negative and measures it in ohms and volts; gives courses to explain it in his schools and universities; kills criminals, cures the sick, and scatters darkness with it; makes it whirl him through space; compels it to bear his whisper through hundreds of miles, and can make it fly around the entire earth with his written word--and yet no man knows what electricity is.

plural of “criminal” — someone who has committed a crime or has been legally convicted of a crime

From this reading Man writes volumes about electricity; calls it positive and negative and measures it in ohms and volts; gives courses to explain it in his schools and universities; kills criminals, cures the sick, and scatters darkness with it; makes it whirl him through space; compels it to bear his whisper through hundreds of miles, and can make it fly around the entire earth with his written word--and yet no man knows what electricity is.

plural of “cure” — a medicine or therapy that cures disease or relieve pain

From this reading Man writes volumes about electricity; calls it positive and negative and measures it in ohms and volts; gives courses to explain it in his schools and universities; kills criminals, cures the sick, and scatters darkness with it; makes it whirl him through space; compels it to bear his whisper through hundreds of miles, and can make it fly around the entire earth with his written word--and yet no man knows what electricity is.

absence of light or illumination

From this reading Man writes volumes about electricity; calls it positive and negative and measures it in ohms and volts; gives courses to explain it in his schools and universities; kills criminals, cures the sick, and scatters darkness with it; makes it whirl him through space; compels it to bear his whisper through hundreds of miles, and can make it fly around the entire earth with his written word--and yet no man knows what electricity is.

the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on

From this reading Man writes volumes about electricity; calls it positive and negative and measures it in ohms and volts; gives courses to explain it in his schools and universities; kills criminals, cures the sick, and scatters darkness with it; makes it whirl him through space; compels it to bear his whisper through hundreds of miles, and can make it fly around the entire earth with his written word--and yet no man knows what electricity is.

using or providing or producing or transmitting or operated by electricity

From this reading If the printing press is the brain of civilization and the steam engine is its heart, electric wires are its nervous system.

a physical phenomenon associated with stationary or moving electrons and protons

From this reading ELECTRICITY: THE TELEGRAPH AND THE TELEPHONE The great miracle of the twentieth century is electricity.

motor that converts thermal energy to mechanical work

From this reading If the printing press is the brain of civilization and the steam engine is its heart, electric wires are its nervous system.

constituting the full quantity or extent; complete

From this reading Man writes volumes about electricity; calls it positive and negative and measures it in ohms and volts; gives courses to explain it in his schools and universities; kills criminals, cures the sick, and scatters darkness with it; makes it whirl him through space; compels it to bear his whisper through hundreds of miles, and can make it fly around the entire earth with his written word--and yet no man knows what electricity is.

make plain and comprehensible

From this reading Man writes volumes about electricity; calls it positive and negative and measures it in ohms and volts; gives courses to explain it in his schools and universities; kills criminals, cures the sick, and scatters darkness with it; makes it whirl him through space; compels it to bear his whisper through hundreds of miles, and can make it fly around the entire earth with his written word--and yet no man knows what electricity is.

travel through the air; be airborne

From this reading Man writes volumes about electricity; calls it positive and negative and measures it in ohms and volts; gives courses to explain it in his schools and universities; kills criminals, cures the sick, and scatters darkness with it; makes it whirl him through space; compels it to bear his whisper through hundreds of miles, and can make it fly around the entire earth with his written word--and yet no man knows what electricity is.

any creature of exceptional size

From this reading Steam is a giant; electricity is a witch.

plural of “give” — the elasticity of something that can be stretched and returns to its original length

From this reading Man writes volumes about electricity; calls it positive and negative and measures it in ohms and volts; gives courses to explain it in his schools and universities; kills criminals, cures the sick, and scatters darkness with it; makes it whirl him through space; compels it to bear his whisper through hundreds of miles, and can make it fly around the entire earth with his written word--and yet no man knows what electricity is.

relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind

From this reading ELECTRICITY: THE TELEGRAPH AND THE TELEPHONE The great miracle of the twentieth century is electricity.

the locus of feelings and intuitions

From this reading If the printing press is the brain of civilization and the steam engine is its heart, electric wires are its nervous system.

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading Man writes volumes about electricity; calls it positive and negative and measures it in ohms and volts; gives courses to explain it in his schools and universities; kills criminals, cures the sick, and scatters darkness with it; makes it whirl him through space; compels it to bear his whisper through hundreds of miles, and can make it fly around the entire earth with his written word--and yet no man knows what electricity is.

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading Man writes volumes about electricity; calls it positive and negative and measures it in ohms and volts; gives courses to explain it in his schools and universities; kills criminals, cures the sick, and scatters darkness with it; makes it whirl him through space; compels it to bear his whisper through hundreds of miles, and can make it fly around the entire earth with his written word--and yet no man knows what electricity is.

plural of “hundred” — ten 10s

From this reading Man writes volumes about electricity; calls it positive and negative and measures it in ohms and volts; gives courses to explain it in his schools and universities; kills criminals, cures the sick, and scatters darkness with it; makes it whirl him through space; compels it to bear his whisper through hundreds of miles, and can make it fly around the entire earth with his written word--and yet no man knows what electricity is.

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading If the printing press is the brain of civilization and the steam engine is its heart, electric wires are its nervous system.

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading Man writes volumes about electricity; calls it positive and negative and measures it in ohms and volts; gives courses to explain it in his schools and universities; kills criminals, cures the sick, and scatters darkness with it; makes it whirl him through space; compels it to bear his whisper through hundreds of miles, and can make it fly around the entire earth with his written word--and yet no man knows what electricity is.

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading ELECTRICITY: THE TELEGRAPH AND THE TELEPHONE The great miracle of the twentieth century is electricity.

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading There is something uncanny about it.

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading If the printing press is the brain of civilization and the steam engine is its heart, electric wires are its nervous system.

plural of “kill” — the act of terminating a life

From this reading Man writes volumes about electricity; calls it positive and negative and measures it in ohms and volts; gives courses to explain it in his schools and universities; kills criminals, cures the sick, and scatters darkness with it; makes it whirl him through space; compels it to bear his whisper through hundreds of miles, and can make it fly around the entire earth with his written word--and yet no man knows what electricity is.

plural of “know” — the fact of being aware of information that is known to few people

From this reading Man writes volumes about electricity; calls it positive and negative and measures it in ohms and volts; gives courses to explain it in his schools and universities; kills criminals, cures the sick, and scatters darkness with it; makes it whirl him through space; compels it to bear his whisper through hundreds of miles, and can make it fly around the entire earth with his written word--and yet no man knows what electricity is.

engage in

From this reading Man writes volumes about electricity; calls it positive and negative and measures it in ohms and volts; gives courses to explain it in his schools and universities; kills criminals, cures the sick, and scatters darkness with it; makes it whirl him through space; compels it to bear his whisper through hundreds of miles, and can make it fly around the entire earth with his written word--and yet no man knows what electricity is.

plural of “make” — a recognizable kind

From this reading Man writes volumes about electricity; calls it positive and negative and measures it in ohms and volts; gives courses to explain it in his schools and universities; kills criminals, cures the sick, and scatters darkness with it; makes it whirl him through space; compels it to bear his whisper through hundreds of miles, and can make it fly around the entire earth with his written word--and yet no man knows what electricity is.

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading Man writes volumes about electricity; calls it positive and negative and measures it in ohms and volts; gives courses to explain it in his schools and universities; kills criminals, cures the sick, and scatters darkness with it; makes it whirl him through space; compels it to bear his whisper through hundreds of miles, and can make it fly around the entire earth with his written word--and yet no man knows what electricity is.

plural of “measure” — any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal

From this reading Man writes volumes about electricity; calls it positive and negative and measures it in ohms and volts; gives courses to explain it in his schools and universities; kills criminals, cures the sick, and scatters darkness with it; makes it whirl him through space; compels it to bear his whisper through hundreds of miles, and can make it fly around the entire earth with his written word--and yet no man knows what electricity is.

plural of “mile” — a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters

From this reading Man writes volumes about electricity; calls it positive and negative and measures it in ohms and volts; gives courses to explain it in his schools and universities; kills criminals, cures the sick, and scatters darkness with it; makes it whirl him through space; compels it to bear his whisper through hundreds of miles, and can make it fly around the entire earth with his written word--and yet no man knows what electricity is.

any amazing or wonderful occurrence

From this reading ELECTRICITY: THE TELEGRAPH AND THE TELEPHONE The great miracle of the twentieth century is electricity.

characterized by or displaying negation or denial or opposition or resistance; having no positive features

From this reading Man writes volumes about electricity; calls it positive and negative and measures it in ohms and volts; gives courses to explain it in his schools and universities; kills criminals, cures the sick, and scatters darkness with it; makes it whirl him through space; compels it to bear his whisper through hundreds of miles, and can make it fly around the entire earth with his written word--and yet no man knows what electricity is.

easily agitated

From this reading If the printing press is the brain of civilization and the steam engine is its heart, electric wires are its nervous system.

not any; not one

From this reading Man writes volumes about electricity; calls it positive and negative and measures it in ohms and volts; gives courses to explain it in his schools and universities; kills criminals, cures the sick, and scatters darkness with it; makes it whirl him through space; compels it to bear his whisper through hundreds of miles, and can make it fly around the entire earth with his written word--and yet no man knows what electricity is.

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading ELECTRICITY: THE TELEGRAPH AND THE TELEPHONE The great miracle of the twentieth century is electricity.

plural of “ohm” — a unit of electrical resistance equal to the resistance between two points on a conductor when a potential difference of one volt between them produces a current of one ampere

From this reading Man writes volumes about electricity; calls it positive and negative and measures it in ohms and volts; gives courses to explain it in his schools and universities; kills criminals, cures the sick, and scatters darkness with it; makes it whirl him through space; compels it to bear his whisper through hundreds of miles, and can make it fly around the entire earth with his written word--and yet no man knows what electricity is.

characterized by or displaying affirmation or acceptance or certainty etc.

From this reading Man writes volumes about electricity; calls it positive and negative and measures it in ohms and volts; gives courses to explain it in his schools and universities; kills criminals, cures the sick, and scatters darkness with it; makes it whirl him through space; compels it to bear his whisper through hundreds of miles, and can make it fly around the entire earth with his written word--and yet no man knows what electricity is.

exert pressure or force to or upon

From this reading If the printing press is the brain of civilization and the steam engine is its heart, electric wires are its nervous system.

text handwritten in the style of printed matter

From this reading If the printing press is the brain of civilization and the steam engine is its heart, electric wires are its nervous system.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Man writes volumes about electricity; calls it positive and negative and measures it in ohms and volts; gives courses to explain it in his schools and universities; kills criminals, cures the sick, and scatters darkness with it; makes it whirl him through space; compels it to bear his whisper through hundreds of miles, and can make it fly around the entire earth with his written word--and yet no man knows what electricity is.

plural of “school” — an educational institution

From this reading Man writes volumes about electricity; calls it positive and negative and measures it in ohms and volts; gives courses to explain it in his schools and universities; kills criminals, cures the sick, and scatters darkness with it; makes it whirl him through space; compels it to bear his whisper through hundreds of miles, and can make it fly around the entire earth with his written word--and yet no man knows what electricity is.

affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function

From this reading Man writes volumes about electricity; calls it positive and negative and measures it in ohms and volts; gives courses to explain it in his schools and universities; kills criminals, cures the sick, and scatters darkness with it; makes it whirl him through space; compels it to bear his whisper through hundreds of miles, and can make it fly around the entire earth with his written word--and yet no man knows what electricity is.

a thing, without saying which

From this reading There is something uncanny about it.

the unlimited expanse in which everything is located

From this reading Man writes volumes about electricity; calls it positive and negative and measures it in ohms and volts; gives courses to explain it in his schools and universities; kills criminals, cures the sick, and scatters darkness with it; makes it whirl him through space; compels it to bear his whisper through hundreds of miles, and can make it fly around the entire earth with his written word--and yet no man knows what electricity is.

travel by means of steam power

From this reading If the printing press is the brain of civilization and the steam engine is its heart, electric wires are its nervous system.

instrumentality that combines interrelated interacting artifacts designed to work as a coherent entity

From this reading If the printing press is the brain of civilization and the steam engine is its heart, electric wires are its nervous system.

apparatus used to communicate at a distance over a wire (usually in Morse code)

From this reading ELECTRICITY: THE TELEGRAPH AND THE TELEPHONE The great miracle of the twentieth century is electricity.

electronic equipment that converts sound into electrical signals that can be transmitted over distances and then converts received signals back into sounds

From this reading ELECTRICITY: THE TELEGRAPH AND THE TELEPHONE The great miracle of the twentieth century is electricity.

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading ELECTRICITY: THE TELEGRAPH AND THE TELEPHONE The great miracle of the twentieth century is electricity.

in or at that place or location

From this reading There is something uncanny about it.

from one end or side of something to the other

From this reading Man writes volumes about electricity; calls it positive and negative and measures it in ohms and volts; gives courses to explain it in his schools and universities; kills criminals, cures the sick, and scatters darkness with it; makes it whirl him through space; compels it to bear his whisper through hundreds of miles, and can make it fly around the entire earth with his written word--and yet no man knows what electricity is.

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading Man writes volumes about electricity; calls it positive and negative and measures it in ohms and volts; gives courses to explain it in his schools and universities; kills criminals, cures the sick, and scatters darkness with it; makes it whirl him through space; compels it to bear his whisper through hundreds of miles, and can make it fly around the entire earth with his written word--and yet no man knows what electricity is.

position 20 in a countable series of things

From this reading ELECTRICITY: THE TELEGRAPH AND THE TELEPHONE The great miracle of the twentieth century is electricity.

suggesting the operation of supernatural influences

From this reading There is something uncanny about it.

plural of “university” — the body of faculty and students at a university

From this reading Man writes volumes about electricity; calls it positive and negative and measures it in ohms and volts; gives courses to explain it in his schools and universities; kills criminals, cures the sick, and scatters darkness with it; makes it whirl him through space; compels it to bear his whisper through hundreds of miles, and can make it fly around the entire earth with his written word--and yet no man knows what electricity is.

plural of “volt” — a unit of potential equal to the potential difference between two points on a conductor carrying a current of 1 ampere when the power dissipated between the two points is 1 watt

From this reading Man writes volumes about electricity; calls it positive and negative and measures it in ohms and volts; gives courses to explain it in his schools and universities; kills criminals, cures the sick, and scatters darkness with it; makes it whirl him through space; compels it to bear his whisper through hundreds of miles, and can make it fly around the entire earth with his written word--and yet no man knows what electricity is.

plural of “volume” — the amount of 3-dimensional space occupied by an object

From this reading Man writes volumes about electricity; calls it positive and negative and measures it in ohms and volts; gives courses to explain it in his schools and universities; kills criminals, cures the sick, and scatters darkness with it; makes it whirl him through space; compels it to bear his whisper through hundreds of miles, and can make it fly around the entire earth with his written word--and yet no man knows what electricity is.

used to ask for information about something

From this reading Man writes volumes about electricity; calls it positive and negative and measures it in ohms and volts; gives courses to explain it in his schools and universities; kills criminals, cures the sick, and scatters darkness with it; makes it whirl him through space; compels it to bear his whisper through hundreds of miles, and can make it fly around the entire earth with his written word--and yet no man knows what electricity is.

turn in a twisting or spinning motion

From this reading Man writes volumes about electricity; calls it positive and negative and measures it in ohms and volts; gives courses to explain it in his schools and universities; kills criminals, cures the sick, and scatters darkness with it; makes it whirl him through space; compels it to bear his whisper through hundreds of miles, and can make it fly around the entire earth with his written word--and yet no man knows what electricity is.

speaking softly without vibration of the vocal cords

From this reading Man writes volumes about electricity; calls it positive and negative and measures it in ohms and volts; gives courses to explain it in his schools and universities; kills criminals, cures the sick, and scatters darkness with it; makes it whirl him through space; compels it to bear his whisper through hundreds of miles, and can make it fly around the entire earth with his written word--and yet no man knows what electricity is.

plural of “wire” — ligament made of metal and used to fasten things or make cages or fences etc

From this reading If the printing press is the brain of civilization and the steam engine is its heart, electric wires are its nervous system.

a female sorcerer or magician

From this reading Steam is a giant; electricity is a witch.

in the company of; together with

From this reading Man writes volumes about electricity; calls it positive and negative and measures it in ohms and volts; gives courses to explain it in his schools and universities; kills criminals, cures the sick, and scatters darkness with it; makes it whirl him through space; compels it to bear his whisper through hundreds of miles, and can make it fly around the entire earth with his written word--and yet no man knows what electricity is.

a unit of language that native speakers can identify

From this reading Man writes volumes about electricity; calls it positive and negative and measures it in ohms and volts; gives courses to explain it in his schools and universities; kills criminals, cures the sick, and scatters darkness with it; makes it whirl him through space; compels it to bear his whisper through hundreds of miles, and can make it fly around the entire earth with his written word--and yet no man knows what electricity is.

third-person singular of “write” — produce a literary work

From this reading Man writes volumes about electricity; calls it positive and negative and measures it in ohms and volts; gives courses to explain it in his schools and universities; kills criminals, cures the sick, and scatters darkness with it; makes it whirl him through space; compels it to bear his whisper through hundreds of miles, and can make it fly around the entire earth with his written word--and yet no man knows what electricity is.

set down in writing in any of various ways

From this reading Man writes volumes about electricity; calls it positive and negative and measures it in ohms and volts; gives courses to explain it in his schools and universities; kills criminals, cures the sick, and scatters darkness with it; makes it whirl him through space; compels it to bear his whisper through hundreds of miles, and can make it fly around the entire earth with his written word--and yet no man knows what electricity is.

but in spite of that

From this reading Man writes volumes about electricity; calls it positive and negative and measures it in ohms and volts; gives courses to explain it in his schools and universities; kills criminals, cures the sick, and scatters darkness with it; makes it whirl him through space; compels it to bear his whisper through hundreds of miles, and can make it fly around the entire earth with his written word--and yet no man knows what electricity is.