used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The man before the machine which was like Ganesha, the god with the elephant’s head, was no longer a human being.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The Pater-noster works of the New Tower of Babel turned their buckets with an easy smoothness.
weapons considered collectively
From this reading The hand did not hold the lever—it clawed it fast in the last hold which saved the mangled man-creature before it from falling into the crushing arms of the machine.
BabelnounUS /ˈbæbəl/
(Genesis 11:1-11) a tower built by Noah's descendants (probably in Babylon) who intended it to reach up to heaven; God foiled them by confusing their language so they could no longer understand one another
From this reading The Pater-noster works of the New Tower of Babel turned their buckets with an easy smoothness.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading The man before the machine which was like Ganesha, the god with the elephant’s head, was no longer a human being.
beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading The man before the machine which was like Ganesha, the god with the elephant’s head, was no longer a human being.
bucketsnounUS /ˈbʌkəts/
plural of “bucket” — a roughly cylindrical vessel that is open at the top
From this reading The Pater-noster works of the New Tower of Babel turned their buckets with an easy smoothness.
clawedadjectiveUS /klɔːd/
having or resembling a claw or claws; often used as a combining form
From this reading The hand did not hold the lever—it clawed it fast in the last hold which saved the mangled man-creature before it from falling into the crushing arms of the machine.
crushingadjectiveUS /ˈkrʌʃɪŋ/
physically or spiritually devastating; often used in combination
From this reading The hand did not hold the lever—it clawed it fast in the last hold which saved the mangled man-creature before it from falling into the crushing arms of the machine.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading The hand did not hold the lever—it clawed it fast in the last hold which saved the mangled man-creature before it from falling into the crushing arms of the machine.
drippingnounUS /ˈdrɪpɪŋ/
a liquid (as water) that flows in drops (as from the eaves of house)
From this reading Merely a dripping piece of exhaustion, from the pores of which the last powers of volition were oozing out in large drops of sweat.
dropsnounUS /drɑːps/
plural of “drop” — a shape that is spherical and small
From this reading Merely a dripping piece of exhaustion, from the pores of which the last powers of volition were oozing out in large drops of sweat.
posing no difficulty; requiring little effort
From this reading The Pater-noster works of the New Tower of Babel turned their buckets with an easy smoothness.
elephant'snounUS /ˈeləfənts/
possessive form of “elephant” — five-toed pachyderm
From this reading The man before the machine which was like Ganesha, the god with the elephant’s head, was no longer a human being.
exhaustionnounUS /ɪɡˈzɔːstʃən/
extreme fatigue
From this reading Merely a dripping piece of exhaustion, from the pores of which the last powers of volition were oozing out in large drops of sweat.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Running eyes no longer saw the manometer.
decreasing in amount or degree
From this reading The hand did not hold the lever—it clawed it fast in the last hold which saved the mangled man-creature before it from falling into the crushing arms of the machine.
quickly or rapidly (often used as a combining form)
From this reading The hand did not hold the lever—it clawed it fast in the last hold which saved the mangled man-creature before it from falling into the crushing arms of the machine.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Merely a dripping piece of exhaustion, from the pores of which the last powers of volition were oozing out in large drops of sweat.
Ganeshanoun
Hindu god of wisdom or prophecy; the god who removes obstacles
From this reading The man before the machine which was like Ganesha, the god with the elephant’s head, was no longer a human being.
the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading The man before the machine which was like Ganesha, the god with the elephant’s head, was no longer a human being.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading The hand did not hold the lever—it clawed it fast in the last hold which saved the mangled man-creature before it from falling into the crushing arms of the machine.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading The man before the machine which was like Ganesha, the god with the elephant’s head, was no longer a human being.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading The hand did not hold the lever—it clawed it fast in the last hold which saved the mangled man-creature before it from falling into the crushing arms of the machine.
humanadjectiveUS /ˈhjuːmən/
characteristic of humanity
From this reading The man before the machine which was like Ganesha, the god with the elephant’s head, was no longer a human being.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Merely a dripping piece of exhaustion, from the pores of which the last powers of volition were oozing out in large drops of sweat.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading The hand did not hold the lever—it clawed it fast in the last hold which saved the mangled man-creature before it from falling into the crushing arms of the machine.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The hand did not hold the lever—it clawed it fast in the last hold which saved the mangled man-creature before it from falling into the crushing arms of the machine.
largeadjectiveUS /lɑːrdʒ/
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Merely a dripping piece of exhaustion, from the pores of which the last powers of volition were oozing out in large drops of sweat.
immediately past
From this reading Merely a dripping piece of exhaustion, from the pores of which the last powers of volition were oozing out in large drops of sweat.
levernounUS /ˈlevər/
a rigid bar pivoted about a fulcrum
From this reading The hand did not hold the lever—it clawed it fast in the last hold which saved the mangled man-creature before it from falling into the crushing arms of the machine.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading The man before the machine which was like Ganesha, the god with the elephant’s head, was no longer a human being.
for more time
From this reading The man before the machine which was like Ganesha, the god with the elephant’s head, was no longer a human being.
any mechanical or electrical device that transmits or modifies energy to perform or assist in the performance of human tasks
From this reading The man before the machine which was like Ganesha, the god with the elephant’s head, was no longer a human being.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The man before the machine which was like Ganesha, the god with the elephant’s head, was no longer a human being.
man-creature
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The hand did not hold the lever—it clawed it fast in the last hold which saved the mangled man-creature before it from falling into the crushing arms of the machine.
mangledadjectiveUS /ˈmæŋɡəld/
having edges that are jagged from injury
From this reading The hand did not hold the lever—it clawed it fast in the last hold which saved the mangled man-creature before it from falling into the crushing arms of the machine.
manometernoun
a pressure gauge for comparing pressures of a gas
From this reading Running eyes no longer saw the manometer.
and nothing more
From this reading Merely a dripping piece of exhaustion, from the pores of which the last powers of volition were oozing out in large drops of sweat.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading The Pater-noster works of the New Tower of Babel turned their buckets with an easy smoothness.
not any; not one
From this reading The man before the machine which was like Ganesha, the god with the elephant’s head, was no longer a human being.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The hand did not hold the lever—it clawed it fast in the last hold which saved the mangled man-creature before it from falling into the crushing arms of the machine.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Merely a dripping piece of exhaustion, from the pores of which the last powers of volition were oozing out in large drops of sweat.
oozingnounUS /ˈuːzɪŋ/
the process of seeping
From this reading Merely a dripping piece of exhaustion, from the pores of which the last powers of volition were oozing out in large drops of sweat.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Merely a dripping piece of exhaustion, from the pores of which the last powers of volition were oozing out in large drops of sweat.
Pater-noster
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Pater-noster works of the New Tower of Babel turned their buckets with an easy smoothness.
a separate part of a whole
From this reading Merely a dripping piece of exhaustion, from the pores of which the last powers of volition were oozing out in large drops of sweat.
poresnounUS /pɔːrz/
plural of “pore” — any tiny hole admitting passage of a liquid (fluid or gas)
From this reading Merely a dripping piece of exhaustion, from the pores of which the last powers of volition were oozing out in large drops of sweat.
plural of “power” — possession of controlling influence
From this reading Merely a dripping piece of exhaustion, from the pores of which the last powers of volition were oozing out in large drops of sweat.
(of fluids) moving or issuing in a stream
From this reading Running eyes no longer saw the manometer.
rescued; especially from the power and consequences of sin
From this reading The hand did not hold the lever—it clawed it fast in the last hold which saved the mangled man-creature before it from falling into the crushing arms of the machine.
cut with a saw
From this reading Running eyes no longer saw the manometer.
smoothnessnounUS /ˈsmuːðnəs/
a texture without roughness; smooth to the touch
From this reading The Pater-noster works of the New Tower of Babel turned their buckets with an easy smoothness.
sweatnounUS /swet/
salty fluid secreted by sweat glands
From this reading Merely a dripping piece of exhaustion, from the pores of which the last powers of volition were oozing out in large drops of sweat.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The man before the machine which was like Ganesha, the god with the elephant’s head, was no longer a human being.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The Pater-noster works of the New Tower of Babel turned their buckets with an easy smoothness.
a structure taller than its diameter; can stand alone or be attached to a larger building
From this reading The Pater-noster works of the New Tower of Babel turned their buckets with an easy smoothness.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading The Pater-noster works of the New Tower of Babel turned their buckets with an easy smoothness.
volitionnounUS /voʊˈlɪʃən/
the capability of conscious choice and decision and intention
From this reading Merely a dripping piece of exhaustion, from the pores of which the last powers of volition were oozing out in large drops of sweat.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The man before the machine which was like Ganesha, the god with the elephant’s head, was no longer a human being.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Merely a dripping piece of exhaustion, from the pores of which the last powers of volition were oozing out in large drops of sweat.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The man before the machine which was like Ganesha, the god with the elephant’s head, was no longer a human being.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The man before the machine which was like Ganesha, the god with the elephant’s head, was no longer a human being.
buildings for carrying on industrial labor
From this reading The Pater-noster works of the New Tower of Babel turned their buckets with an easy smoothness.
