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Noémi
Noémi

Chapter XVI

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Context Illustration Reading 1/34 · 5 lines
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VADE IN PACE.
THE thought of undefined horror conveyed by that word "_oubliette_" for a moment held Noémi as though it had paralysed her.
But this was for a moment only, and then she bounded in the direction of the keep.
A word must be said as to what an _oubliette_ was.
In almost every mediæval castle in France and Germany the visitor is shown holes, usually in the floor, that descend to a considerable depth, and which are said to be _oubliettes_--that is to say, places down which prisoners were dropped when it was to the interest of the lord of the castle to sink them in oblivion.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Noémi

Chapter XVI

Reading 1/34 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
VADE IN PACE.
Line 2
THE thought of undefined horror conveyed by that word "_oubliette_" for a moment held Noémi as though it had paralysed her.
Line 3
But this was for a moment only, and then she bounded in the direction of the keep.
Line 4
A word must be said as to what an _oubliette_ was.
Line 5
In almost every mediæval castle in France and Germany the visitor is shown holes, usually in the floor, that descend to a considerable depth, and which are said to be _oubliettes_--that is to say, places down which prisoners were dropped when it was to the interest of the lord of the castle to sink them in oblivion.

Learner Dictionary

Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.

Every determiner US /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading “In almost every mediæval castle in France and Germany the visitor is shown holes, usually in the floor, that descend to a considerable depth, and which are said to be _oubliettes_--that is to say, places down which prisoners were dropped when it was to the interest of the lord of the castle to sink them in oblivion.”

Must modal verb US /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading “A word must be said as to what an _oubliette_ was.”

Though conjunction US /ðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

From this reading “THE thought of undefined horror conveyed by that word "_oubliette_" for a moment held Noémi as though it had paralysed her.”

Thought noun US /thought/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “THE thought of undefined horror conveyed by that word "_oubliette_" for a moment held Noémi as though it had paralysed her.”

All words in this reading · 70

Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

adeterminerUS /ə/

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

From this reading THE thought of undefined horror conveyed by that word "_oubliette_" for a moment held Noémi as though it had paralysed her.

almost

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

From this reading In almost every mediæval castle in France and Germany the visitor is shown holes, usually in the floor, that descend to a considerable depth, and which are said to be _oubliettes_--that is to say, places down which prisoners were dropped when it was to the interest of the lord of the castle to sink them in oblivion.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading A word must be said as to what an _oubliette_ was.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading But this was for a moment only, and then she bounded in the direction of the keep.

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

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

From this reading In almost every mediæval castle in France and Germany the visitor is shown holes, usually in the floor, that descend to a considerable depth, and which are said to be _oubliettes_--that is to say, places down which prisoners were dropped when it was to the interest of the lord of the castle to sink them in oblivion.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading THE thought of undefined horror conveyed by that word "_oubliette_" for a moment held Noémi as though it had paralysed her.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading A word must be said as to what an _oubliette_ was.

bounded

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

From this reading But this was for a moment only, and then she bounded in the direction of the keep.

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But this was for a moment only, and then she bounded in the direction of the keep.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading THE thought of undefined horror conveyed by that word "_oubliette_" for a moment held Noémi as though it had paralysed her.

castle

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

From this reading In almost every mediæval castle in France and Germany the visitor is shown holes, usually in the floor, that descend to a considerable depth, and which are said to be _oubliettes_--that is to say, places down which prisoners were dropped when it was to the interest of the lord of the castle to sink them in oblivion.

considerable

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

From this reading In almost every mediæval castle in France and Germany the visitor is shown holes, usually in the floor, that descend to a considerable depth, and which are said to be _oubliettes_--that is to say, places down which prisoners were dropped when it was to the interest of the lord of the castle to sink them in oblivion.

conveyed

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

From this reading THE thought of undefined horror conveyed by that word "_oubliette_" for a moment held Noémi as though it had paralysed her.

depth

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

From this reading In almost every mediæval castle in France and Germany the visitor is shown holes, usually in the floor, that descend to a considerable depth, and which are said to be _oubliettes_--that is to say, places down which prisoners were dropped when it was to the interest of the lord of the castle to sink them in oblivion.

descend

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

From this reading In almost every mediæval castle in France and Germany the visitor is shown holes, usually in the floor, that descend to a considerable depth, and which are said to be _oubliettes_--that is to say, places down which prisoners were dropped when it was to the interest of the lord of the castle to sink them in oblivion.

direction

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

From this reading But this was for a moment only, and then she bounded in the direction of the keep.

down

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

From this reading In almost every mediæval castle in France and Germany the visitor is shown holes, usually in the floor, that descend to a considerable depth, and which are said to be _oubliettes_--that is to say, places down which prisoners were dropped when it was to the interest of the lord of the castle to sink them in oblivion.

dropped

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

From this reading In almost every mediæval castle in France and Germany the visitor is shown holes, usually in the floor, that descend to a considerable depth, and which are said to be _oubliettes_--that is to say, places down which prisoners were dropped when it was to the interest of the lord of the castle to sink them in oblivion.

everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading In almost every mediæval castle in France and Germany the visitor is shown holes, usually in the floor, that descend to a considerable depth, and which are said to be _oubliettes_--that is to say, places down which prisoners were dropped when it was to the interest of the lord of the castle to sink them in oblivion.

floor

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

From this reading In almost every mediæval castle in France and Germany the visitor is shown holes, usually in the floor, that descend to a considerable depth, and which are said to be _oubliettes_--that is to say, places down which prisoners were dropped when it was to the interest of the lord of the castle to sink them in oblivion.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading THE thought of undefined horror conveyed by that word "_oubliette_" for a moment held Noémi as though it had paralysed her.

France

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

From this reading In almost every mediæval castle in France and Germany the visitor is shown holes, usually in the floor, that descend to a considerable depth, and which are said to be _oubliettes_--that is to say, places down which prisoners were dropped when it was to the interest of the lord of the castle to sink them in oblivion.

Germany

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

From this reading In almost every mediæval castle in France and Germany the visitor is shown holes, usually in the floor, that descend to a considerable depth, and which are said to be _oubliettes_--that is to say, places down which prisoners were dropped when it was to the interest of the lord of the castle to sink them in oblivion.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading THE thought of undefined horror conveyed by that word "_oubliette_" for a moment held Noémi as though it had paralysed her.

held

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

From this reading THE thought of undefined horror conveyed by that word "_oubliette_" for a moment held Noémi as though it had paralysed her.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading THE thought of undefined horror conveyed by that word "_oubliette_" for a moment held Noémi as though it had paralysed her.

holes

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

From this reading In almost every mediæval castle in France and Germany the visitor is shown holes, usually in the floor, that descend to a considerable depth, and which are said to be _oubliettes_--that is to say, places down which prisoners were dropped when it was to the interest of the lord of the castle to sink them in oblivion.

horror

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

From this reading THE thought of undefined horror conveyed by that word "_oubliette_" for a moment held Noémi as though it had paralysed her.

INprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading VADE IN PACE.

interest

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

From this reading In almost every mediæval castle in France and Germany the visitor is shown holes, usually in the floor, that descend to a considerable depth, and which are said to be _oubliettes_--that is to say, places down which prisoners were dropped when it was to the interest of the lord of the castle to sink them in oblivion.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading In almost every mediæval castle in France and Germany the visitor is shown holes, usually in the floor, that descend to a considerable depth, and which are said to be _oubliettes_--that is to say, places down which prisoners were dropped when it was to the interest of the lord of the castle to sink them in oblivion.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading THE thought of undefined horror conveyed by that word "_oubliette_" for a moment held Noémi as though it had paralysed her.

keep

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

From this reading But this was for a moment only, and then she bounded in the direction of the keep.

lord

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

From this reading In almost every mediæval castle in France and Germany the visitor is shown holes, usually in the floor, that descend to a considerable depth, and which are said to be _oubliettes_--that is to say, places down which prisoners were dropped when it was to the interest of the lord of the castle to sink them in oblivion.

mediæval

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

From this reading In almost every mediæval castle in France and Germany the visitor is shown holes, usually in the floor, that descend to a considerable depth, and which are said to be _oubliettes_--that is to say, places down which prisoners were dropped when it was to the interest of the lord of the castle to sink them in oblivion.

moment

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

From this reading THE thought of undefined horror conveyed by that word "_oubliette_" for a moment held Noémi as though it had paralysed her.

mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading A word must be said as to what an _oubliette_ was.

Noémi

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

From this reading THE thought of undefined horror conveyed by that word "_oubliette_" for a moment held Noémi as though it had paralysed her.

oblivion

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

From this reading In almost every mediæval castle in France and Germany the visitor is shown holes, usually in the floor, that descend to a considerable depth, and which are said to be _oubliettes_--that is to say, places down which prisoners were dropped when it was to the interest of the lord of the castle to sink them in oblivion.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading THE thought of undefined horror conveyed by that word "_oubliette_" for a moment held Noémi as though it had paralysed her.

only

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

From this reading But this was for a moment only, and then she bounded in the direction of the keep.

oubliette

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

From this reading THE thought of undefined horror conveyed by that word "_oubliette_" for a moment held Noémi as though it had paralysed her.

oubliettes

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

From this reading In almost every mediæval castle in France and Germany the visitor is shown holes, usually in the floor, that descend to a considerable depth, and which are said to be _oubliettes_--that is to say, places down which prisoners were dropped when it was to the interest of the lord of the castle to sink them in oblivion.

PACE

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

From this reading VADE IN PACE.

paralysed

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

From this reading THE thought of undefined horror conveyed by that word "_oubliette_" for a moment held Noémi as though it had paralysed her.

places

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

From this reading In almost every mediæval castle in France and Germany the visitor is shown holes, usually in the floor, that descend to a considerable depth, and which are said to be _oubliettes_--that is to say, places down which prisoners were dropped when it was to the interest of the lord of the castle to sink them in oblivion.

prisoners

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

From this reading In almost every mediæval castle in France and Germany the visitor is shown holes, usually in the floor, that descend to a considerable depth, and which are said to be _oubliettes_--that is to say, places down which prisoners were dropped when it was to the interest of the lord of the castle to sink them in oblivion.

said

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

From this reading A word must be said as to what an _oubliette_ was.

say

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

From this reading In almost every mediæval castle in France and Germany the visitor is shown holes, usually in the floor, that descend to a considerable depth, and which are said to be _oubliettes_--that is to say, places down which prisoners were dropped when it was to the interest of the lord of the castle to sink them in oblivion.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading But this was for a moment only, and then she bounded in the direction of the keep.

shown

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

From this reading In almost every mediæval castle in France and Germany the visitor is shown holes, usually in the floor, that descend to a considerable depth, and which are said to be _oubliettes_--that is to say, places down which prisoners were dropped when it was to the interest of the lord of the castle to sink them in oblivion.

sink

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

From this reading In almost every mediæval castle in France and Germany the visitor is shown holes, usually in the floor, that descend to a considerable depth, and which are said to be _oubliettes_--that is to say, places down which prisoners were dropped when it was to the interest of the lord of the castle to sink them in oblivion.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading THE thought of undefined horror conveyed by that word "_oubliette_" for a moment held Noémi as though it had paralysed her.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE thought of undefined horror conveyed by that word "_oubliette_" for a moment held Noémi as though it had paralysed her.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading In almost every mediæval castle in France and Germany the visitor is shown holes, usually in the floor, that descend to a considerable depth, and which are said to be _oubliettes_--that is to say, places down which prisoners were dropped when it was to the interest of the lord of the castle to sink them in oblivion.

then

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

From this reading But this was for a moment only, and then she bounded in the direction of the keep.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading But this was for a moment only, and then she bounded in the direction of the keep.

thoughconjunctionUS /ðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

From this reading THE thought of undefined horror conveyed by that word "_oubliette_" for a moment held Noémi as though it had paralysed her.

thoughtnounUS /thought/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading THE thought of undefined horror conveyed by that word "_oubliette_" for a moment held Noémi as though it had paralysed her.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading A word must be said as to what an _oubliette_ was.

undefined

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

From this reading THE thought of undefined horror conveyed by that word "_oubliette_" for a moment held Noémi as though it had paralysed her.

usually

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

From this reading In almost every mediæval castle in France and Germany the visitor is shown holes, usually in the floor, that descend to a considerable depth, and which are said to be _oubliettes_--that is to say, places down which prisoners were dropped when it was to the interest of the lord of the castle to sink them in oblivion.

VADE

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

From this reading VADE IN PACE.

visitor

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

From this reading In almost every mediæval castle in France and Germany the visitor is shown holes, usually in the floor, that descend to a considerable depth, and which are said to be _oubliettes_--that is to say, places down which prisoners were dropped when it was to the interest of the lord of the castle to sink them in oblivion.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading But this was for a moment only, and then she bounded in the direction of the keep.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading In almost every mediæval castle in France and Germany the visitor is shown holes, usually in the floor, that descend to a considerable depth, and which are said to be _oubliettes_--that is to say, places down which prisoners were dropped when it was to the interest of the lord of the castle to sink them in oblivion.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading A word must be said as to what an _oubliette_ was.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading In almost every mediæval castle in France and Germany the visitor is shown holes, usually in the floor, that descend to a considerable depth, and which are said to be _oubliettes_--that is to say, places down which prisoners were dropped when it was to the interest of the lord of the castle to sink them in oblivion.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading In almost every mediæval castle in France and Germany the visitor is shown holes, usually in the floor, that descend to a considerable depth, and which are said to be _oubliettes_--that is to say, places down which prisoners were dropped when it was to the interest of the lord of the castle to sink them in oblivion.

word

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

From this reading THE thought of undefined horror conveyed by that word "_oubliette_" for a moment held Noémi as though it had paralysed her.