Chapter 14 of Selections from the Poems and Plays is here in full — 362 sentences across 73 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIV
Chapter 14 of Selections from the Poems and Plays is here in full — 362 sentences across 73 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
58. _Thyrsus._ The ivy-coiled staff or spear stuck in a pine-cone, symbol of the Bacchic orgy. 68. _Travertine._ A white limestone, the name being a corruption of Tiburninus, from Tibur, now Tivoli, near Rome, whence this stone comes. 77.
Chapter 14 of Selections from the Poems and Plays is here in full — 362 sentences across 73 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/72 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
lack of integrity or honesty (especially susceptibility to bribery); use of a position of trust for dishonest gain
From this reading “_Travertine._ A white limestone, the name being a corruption of Tiburninus, from Tibur, now Tivoli, near Rome, whence this stone comes.”
a sedimentary rock consisting mainly of calcium that was deposited by the remains of marine animals
From this reading “_Travertine._ A white limestone, the name being a corruption of Tiburninus, from Tibur, now Tivoli, near Rome, whence this stone comes.”
any act of immoderate indulgence
From this reading “_Thyrsus._ The ivy-coiled staff or spear stuck in a pine-cone, symbol of the Bacchic orgy.”
a long pointed rod used as a tool or weapon
From this reading “_Thyrsus._ The ivy-coiled staff or spear stuck in a pine-cone, symbol of the Bacchic orgy.”
personnel who assist their superior in carrying out an assigned task
From this reading “_Thyrsus._ The ivy-coiled staff or spear stuck in a pine-cone, symbol of the Bacchic orgy.”
caught or fixed
From this reading “_Thyrsus._ The ivy-coiled staff or spear stuck in a pine-cone, symbol of the Bacchic orgy.”
an arbitrary sign (written or printed) that has acquired a conventional significance
From this reading “_Thyrsus._ The ivy-coiled staff or spear stuck in a pine-cone, symbol of the Bacchic orgy.”
a town twenty miles to the east of Rome (Tibur is the ancient name); a summer resort during the Roman empire; noted for its waterfalls
From this reading “_Travertine._ A white limestone, the name being a corruption of Tiburninus, from Tibur, now Tivoli, near Rome, whence this stone comes.”
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 58.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 68.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 77.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading _Thyrsus._ The ivy-coiled staff or spear stuck in a pine-cone, symbol of the Bacchic orgy.
used of riotously drunken merrymaking
From this reading _Thyrsus._ The ivy-coiled staff or spear stuck in a pine-cone, symbol of the Bacchic orgy.
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading _Travertine._ A white limestone, the name being a corruption of Tiburninus, from Tibur, now Tivoli, near Rome, whence this stone comes.
plural of “come” — the thick white fluid containing spermatozoa that is ejaculated by the male genital tract
From this reading _Travertine._ A white limestone, the name being a corruption of Tiburninus, from Tibur, now Tivoli, near Rome, whence this stone comes.
lack of integrity or honesty (especially susceptibility to bribery); use of a position of trust for dishonest gain
From this reading _Travertine._ A white limestone, the name being a corruption of Tiburninus, from Tibur, now Tivoli, near Rome, whence this stone comes.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading _Travertine._ A white limestone, the name being a corruption of Tiburninus, from Tibur, now Tivoli, near Rome, whence this stone comes.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading _Thyrsus._ The ivy-coiled staff or spear stuck in a pine-cone, symbol of the Bacchic orgy.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Thyrsus._ The ivy-coiled staff or spear stuck in a pine-cone, symbol of the Bacchic orgy.
a sedimentary rock consisting mainly of calcium that was deposited by the remains of marine animals
From this reading _Travertine._ A white limestone, the name being a corruption of Tiburninus, from Tibur, now Tivoli, near Rome, whence this stone comes.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading _Travertine._ A white limestone, the name being a corruption of Tiburninus, from Tibur, now Tivoli, near Rome, whence this stone comes.
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading _Travertine._ A white limestone, the name being a corruption of Tiburninus, from Tibur, now Tivoli, near Rome, whence this stone comes.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading _Travertine._ A white limestone, the name being a corruption of Tiburninus, from Tibur, now Tivoli, near Rome, whence this stone comes.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading _Thyrsus._ The ivy-coiled staff or spear stuck in a pine-cone, symbol of the Bacchic orgy.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading _Thyrsus._ The ivy-coiled staff or spear stuck in a pine-cone, symbol of the Bacchic orgy.
any act of immoderate indulgence
From this reading _Thyrsus._ The ivy-coiled staff or spear stuck in a pine-cone, symbol of the Bacchic orgy.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Thyrsus._ The ivy-coiled staff or spear stuck in a pine-cone, symbol of the Bacchic orgy.
capital and largest city of Italy; on the Tiber; seat of the Roman Catholic Church; formerly the capital of the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire
From this reading _Travertine._ A white limestone, the name being a corruption of Tiburninus, from Tibur, now Tivoli, near Rome, whence this stone comes.
a long pointed rod used as a tool or weapon
From this reading _Thyrsus._ The ivy-coiled staff or spear stuck in a pine-cone, symbol of the Bacchic orgy.
personnel who assist their superior in carrying out an assigned task
From this reading _Thyrsus._ The ivy-coiled staff or spear stuck in a pine-cone, symbol of the Bacchic orgy.
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading _Travertine._ A white limestone, the name being a corruption of Tiburninus, from Tibur, now Tivoli, near Rome, whence this stone comes.
caught or fixed
From this reading _Thyrsus._ The ivy-coiled staff or spear stuck in a pine-cone, symbol of the Bacchic orgy.
an arbitrary sign (written or printed) that has acquired a conventional significance
From this reading _Thyrsus._ The ivy-coiled staff or spear stuck in a pine-cone, symbol of the Bacchic orgy.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading _Thyrsus._ The ivy-coiled staff or spear stuck in a pine-cone, symbol of the Bacchic orgy.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading _Travertine._ A white limestone, the name being a corruption of Tiburninus, from Tibur, now Tivoli, near Rome, whence this stone comes.
a dense flower cluster (as of the lilac or horse chestnut) in which the main axis is racemose and the branches are cymose
From this reading _Thyrsus._ The ivy-coiled staff or spear stuck in a pine-cone, symbol of the Bacchic orgy.
a town twenty miles to the east of Rome (Tibur is the ancient name); a summer resort during the Roman empire; noted for its waterfalls
From this reading _Travertine._ A white limestone, the name being a corruption of Tiburninus, from Tibur, now Tivoli, near Rome, whence this stone comes.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Travertine._ A white limestone, the name being a corruption of Tiburninus, from Tibur, now Tivoli, near Rome, whence this stone comes.
a town twenty miles to the east of Rome (Tibur is the ancient name); a summer resort during the Roman empire; noted for its waterfalls
From this reading _Travertine._ A white limestone, the name being a corruption of Tiburninus, from Tibur, now Tivoli, near Rome, whence this stone comes.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Travertine._ A white limestone, the name being a corruption of Tiburninus, from Tibur, now Tivoli, near Rome, whence this stone comes.
an old word meaning “from where”
From this reading _Travertine._ A white limestone, the name being a corruption of Tiburninus, from Tibur, now Tivoli, near Rome, whence this stone comes.
a Caucasian
From this reading _Travertine._ A white limestone, the name being a corruption of Tiburninus, from Tibur, now Tivoli, near Rome, whence this stone comes.
Chapter 14 of Selections from the Poems and Plays by Robert Browning holds 362 sentences, grouped into 73 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 14 holds 362 sentences of Selections from the Poems and Plays, unabridged, divided into 73 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 14 of Selections from the Poems and Plays by Robert Browning exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 362 sentences, grouped into 73 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 73 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 73 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
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About 437 minutes of reading across 1051 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
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