used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The river like a liquid ax is continually cutting away the foundations of the city.
aboveprepositionUS /əˈbʌv/
higher than, or over, something
From this reading For three thousand years stone has been laid on stone to keep this city with its haughty towers and sombre domes above the rushing and destroying currents of the sacred river.
take a risk in the hope of a favorable outcome
From this reading KARI'S ADVENTURE IN BENARES As the sun went down in the gathering silence of the evening, we entered the city of Benares, the oldest city in India.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading And that is why all the tall towers of Benares lean slightly over the water's edge.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading For three thousand years stone has been laid on stone to keep this city with its haughty towers and sombre domes above the rushing and destroying currents of the sacred river.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading KARI'S ADVENTURE IN BENARES As the sun went down in the gathering silence of the evening, we entered the city of Benares, the oldest city in India.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At night you can hear the whispering Ganges gnawing at the stone embankments.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading The river like a liquid ax is continually cutting away the foundations of the city.
axnounUS /æks/
an edge tool with a heavy bladed head mounted across a handle
From this reading The river like a liquid ax is continually cutting away the foundations of the city.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading For three thousand years stone has been laid on stone to keep this city with its haughty towers and sombre domes above the rushing and destroying currents of the sacred river.
BENARES
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading KARI'S ADVENTURE IN BENARES As the sun went down in the gathering silence of the evening, we entered the city of Benares, the oldest city in India.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading At night you can hear the whispering Ganges gnawing at the stone embankments.
a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts
From this reading KARI'S ADVENTURE IN BENARES As the sun went down in the gathering silence of the evening, we entered the city of Benares, the oldest city in India.
seemingly without interruption
From this reading The river like a liquid ax is continually cutting away the foundations of the city.
currentsnounUS /ˈkɜːrənts/
plural of “current” — a flow of electricity through a conductor
From this reading For three thousand years stone has been laid on stone to keep this city with its haughty towers and sombre domes above the rushing and destroying currents of the sacred river.
cuttingnounUS /ˈkʌtɪŋ/
the activity of selecting the scenes to be shown and putting them together to create a film
From this reading The river like a liquid ax is continually cutting away the foundations of the city.
destroyingverbUS /dɪˈstrɔɪɪŋ/
-ing form of “destroy” — do away with, cause the destruction or undoing of
From this reading For three thousand years stone has been laid on stone to keep this city with its haughty towers and sombre domes above the rushing and destroying currents of the sacred river.
domesnounUS /doʊmz/
plural of “dome” — a concave shape whose distinguishing characteristic is that the concavity faces downward
From this reading For three thousand years stone has been laid on stone to keep this city with its haughty towers and sombre domes above the rushing and destroying currents of the sacred river.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading KARI'S ADVENTURE IN BENARES As the sun went down in the gathering silence of the evening, we entered the city of Benares, the oldest city in India.
the boundary of a surface
From this reading And that is why all the tall towers of Benares lean slightly over the water's edge.
embankmentsnounUS /emˈbæŋkmənts/
plural of “embankment” — a long artificial mound of stone or earth; built to hold back water or to support a road or as protection
From this reading At night you can hear the whispering Ganges gnawing at the stone embankments.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading KARI'S ADVENTURE IN BENARES As the sun went down in the gathering silence of the evening, we entered the city of Benares, the oldest city in India.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading KARI'S ADVENTURE IN BENARES As the sun went down in the gathering silence of the evening, we entered the city of Benares, the oldest city in India.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For three thousand years stone has been laid on stone to keep this city with its haughty towers and sombre domes above the rushing and destroying currents of the sacred river.
foundationsnounUS /faʊnˈdeɪʃənz/
plural of “foundation” — the basis on which something is grounded
From this reading The river like a liquid ax is continually cutting away the foundations of the city.
GangesnounUS /ˈɡændʒiz/
an Asian river; rises in the Himalayas and flows east into the Bay of Bengal; a sacred river of the Hindus
From this reading At night you can hear the whispering Ganges gnawing at the stone embankments.
a group of persons together in one place
From this reading KARI'S ADVENTURE IN BENARES As the sun went down in the gathering silence of the evening, we entered the city of Benares, the oldest city in India.
gnawingverbUS /ˈnɔːɪŋ/
-ing form of “gnaw” — bite or chew on with the teeth
From this reading At night you can hear the whispering Ganges gnawing at the stone embankments.
hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading For three thousand years stone has been laid on stone to keep this city with its haughty towers and sombre domes above the rushing and destroying currents of the sacred river.
haughtyadjectiveUS /ˈhɔːti/
having or showing arrogant superiority to and disdain of those one views as unworthy
From this reading For three thousand years stone has been laid on stone to keep this city with its haughty towers and sombre domes above the rushing and destroying currents of the sacred river.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading At night you can hear the whispering Ganges gnawing at the stone embankments.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading KARI'S ADVENTURE IN BENARES As the sun went down in the gathering silence of the evening, we entered the city of Benares, the oldest city in India.
IndianounUS /ˈɪndiə/
a republic in the Asian subcontinent in southern Asia; second most populous country in the world; achieved independence from the United Kingdom in 1947
From this reading KARI'S ADVENTURE IN BENARES As the sun went down in the gathering silence of the evening, we entered the city of Benares, the oldest city in India.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The river like a liquid ax is continually cutting away the foundations of the city.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading For three thousand years stone has been laid on stone to keep this city with its haughty towers and sombre domes above the rushing and destroying currents of the sacred river.
KARI'S
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading KARI'S ADVENTURE IN BENARES As the sun went down in the gathering silence of the evening, we entered the city of Benares, the oldest city in India.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading For three thousand years stone has been laid on stone to keep this city with its haughty towers and sombre domes above the rushing and destroying currents of the sacred river.
set down according to a plan
From this reading For three thousand years stone has been laid on stone to keep this city with its haughty towers and sombre domes above the rushing and destroying currents of the sacred river.
leanverbUS /liːn/
to incline or bend from a vertical position
From this reading And that is why all the tall towers of Benares lean slightly over the water's edge.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading The river like a liquid ax is continually cutting away the foundations of the city.
liquidadjectiveUS /ˈlɪkwəd/
existing as or having characteristics of a liquid; especially tending to flow
From this reading The river like a liquid ax is continually cutting away the foundations of the city.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading At night you can hear the whispering Ganges gnawing at the stone embankments.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading KARI'S ADVENTURE IN BENARES As the sun went down in the gathering silence of the evening, we entered the city of Benares, the oldest city in India.
oldestadjectiveUS /ˈoʊldəst/
superlative of “old” — (used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading KARI'S ADVENTURE IN BENARES As the sun went down in the gathering silence of the evening, we entered the city of Benares, the oldest city in India.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading For three thousand years stone has been laid on stone to keep this city with its haughty towers and sombre domes above the rushing and destroying currents of the sacred river.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading And that is why all the tall towers of Benares lean slightly over the water's edge.
a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)
From this reading For three thousand years stone has been laid on stone to keep this city with its haughty towers and sombre domes above the rushing and destroying currents of the sacred river.
rushingnounUS /ˈrʌʃɪŋ/
(American football) an attempt to advance the ball by running into the line
From this reading For three thousand years stone has been laid on stone to keep this city with its haughty towers and sombre domes above the rushing and destroying currents of the sacred river.
concerned with religion or religious purposes
From this reading For three thousand years stone has been laid on stone to keep this city with its haughty towers and sombre domes above the rushing and destroying currents of the sacred river.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading KARI'S ADVENTURE IN BENARES As the sun went down in the gathering silence of the evening, we entered the city of Benares, the oldest city in India.
to a small degree or extent
From this reading And that is why all the tall towers of Benares lean slightly over the water's edge.
sombreadjective
lacking brightness or color; dull
From this reading For three thousand years stone has been laid on stone to keep this city with its haughty towers and sombre domes above the rushing and destroying currents of the sacred river.
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading For three thousand years stone has been laid on stone to keep this city with its haughty towers and sombre domes above the rushing and destroying currents of the sacred river.
the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
From this reading KARI'S ADVENTURE IN BENARES As the sun went down in the gathering silence of the evening, we entered the city of Benares, the oldest city in India.
great in vertical dimension; high in stature
From this reading And that is why all the tall towers of Benares lean slightly over the water's edge.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading And that is why all the tall towers of Benares lean slightly over the water's edge.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading KARI'S ADVENTURE IN BENARES As the sun went down in the gathering silence of the evening, we entered the city of Benares, the oldest city in India.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading For three thousand years stone has been laid on stone to keep this city with its haughty towers and sombre domes above the rushing and destroying currents of the sacred river.
the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100
From this reading For three thousand years stone has been laid on stone to keep this city with its haughty towers and sombre domes above the rushing and destroying currents of the sacred river.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading For three thousand years stone has been laid on stone to keep this city with its haughty towers and sombre domes above the rushing and destroying currents of the sacred river.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading For three thousand years stone has been laid on stone to keep this city with its haughty towers and sombre domes above the rushing and destroying currents of the sacred river.
towersnounUS /ˈtaʊərz/
plural of “tower” — a structure taller than its diameter; can stand alone or be attached to a larger building
From this reading For three thousand years stone has been laid on stone to keep this city with its haughty towers and sombre domes above the rushing and destroying currents of the sacred river.
water'snounUS /ˈwɔːtərz/
possessive form of “water” — 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 And that is why all the tall towers of Benares lean slightly over the water's edge.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading KARI'S ADVENTURE IN BENARES As the sun went down in the gathering silence of the evening, we entered the city of Benares, the oldest city in India.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading KARI'S ADVENTURE IN BENARES As the sun went down in the gathering silence of the evening, we entered the city of Benares, the oldest city in India.
whisperingnounUS /ˈwɪspərɪŋ/
a light noise, like the noise of silk clothing or leaves blowing in the wind
From this reading At night you can hear the whispering Ganges gnawing at the stone embankments.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading And that is why all the tall towers of Benares lean slightly over the water's edge.
in the company of; together with
From this reading For three thousand years stone has been laid on stone to keep this city with its haughty towers and sombre domes above the rushing and destroying currents of the sacred river.
a late time of life
From this reading For three thousand years stone has been laid on stone to keep this city with its haughty towers and sombre domes above the rushing and destroying currents of the sacred river.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading At night you can hear the whispering Ganges gnawing at the stone embankments.
