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The Abbatial Crosier
The Abbatial Crosier

Chapter I

Cover illustration for The Abbatial Crosier
Context Illustration Reading 1/7 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
NARBONNE.
Cruel intestine wars between the descendants of the Frankish conquerors were devastating Gaul when the Arab invasion took place in 719.
The invaders poured down from the Pyrenees and drove back or subjugated the Visigoths.
The exchange of masters was almost a gain to the inhabitants of the region.
The conquerors from the south were more civilized than those from the north.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Abbatial Crosier

Chapter I

Reading 1/7 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
NARBONNE.
Line 2
Cruel intestine wars between the descendants of the Frankish conquerors were devastating Gaul when the Arab invasion took place in 719.
Line 3
The invaders poured down from the Pyrenees and drove back or subjugated the Visigoths.
Line 4
The exchange of masters was almost a gain to the inhabitants of the region.
Line 5
The conquerors from the south were more civilized than those from the north.

Learner Dictionary

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

Between preposition US /bɪˈtwiːn/

in the space, time, or range separating two things

From this reading “Cruel intestine wars between the descendants of the Frankish conquerors were devastating Gaul when the Arab invasion took place in 719.”

Cruel adjective US /ˈkruːəl/

causing pain or showing no kindness

From this reading “Cruel intestine wars between the descendants of the Frankish conquerors were devastating Gaul when the Arab invasion took place in 719.”

Those determiner US /ðoʊz/

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading “The conquerors from the south were more civilized than those from the north.”

Took noun US /took/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Cruel intestine wars between the descendants of the Frankish conquerors were devastating Gaul when the Arab invasion took place in 719.”

All words in this reading · 46

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

719

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From this reading Cruel intestine wars between the descendants of the Frankish conquerors were devastating Gaul when the Arab invasion took place in 719.

adeterminerUS /ə/

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

From this reading The exchange of masters was almost a gain to the inhabitants of the region.

almost

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

From this reading The exchange of masters was almost a gain to the inhabitants of the region.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading The invaders poured down from the Pyrenees and drove back or subjugated the Visigoths.

Arab

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

From this reading Cruel intestine wars between the descendants of the Frankish conquerors were devastating Gaul when the Arab invasion took place in 719.

back

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

From this reading The invaders poured down from the Pyrenees and drove back or subjugated the Visigoths.

betweenprepositionUS /bɪˈtwiːn/

in the space, time, or range separating two things

From this reading Cruel intestine wars between the descendants of the Frankish conquerors were devastating Gaul when the Arab invasion took place in 719.

civilized

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

From this reading The conquerors from the south were more civilized than those from the north.

conquerors

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

From this reading Cruel intestine wars between the descendants of the Frankish conquerors were devastating Gaul when the Arab invasion took place in 719.

CrueladjectiveUS /ˈkruːəl/

causing pain or showing no kindness

From this reading Cruel intestine wars between the descendants of the Frankish conquerors were devastating Gaul when the Arab invasion took place in 719.

descendants

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

From this reading Cruel intestine wars between the descendants of the Frankish conquerors were devastating Gaul when the Arab invasion took place in 719.

devastating

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

From this reading Cruel intestine wars between the descendants of the Frankish conquerors were devastating Gaul when the Arab invasion took place in 719.

down

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

From this reading The invaders poured down from the Pyrenees and drove back or subjugated the Visigoths.

drove

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

From this reading The invaders poured down from the Pyrenees and drove back or subjugated the Visigoths.

exchange

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

From this reading The exchange of masters was almost a gain to the inhabitants of the region.

Frankish

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

From this reading Cruel intestine wars between the descendants of the Frankish conquerors were devastating Gaul when the Arab invasion took place in 719.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading The invaders poured down from the Pyrenees and drove back or subjugated the Visigoths.

gain

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

From this reading The exchange of masters was almost a gain to the inhabitants of the region.

Gaul

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

From this reading Cruel intestine wars between the descendants of the Frankish conquerors were devastating Gaul when the Arab invasion took place in 719.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Cruel intestine wars between the descendants of the Frankish conquerors were devastating Gaul when the Arab invasion took place in 719.

inhabitants

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

From this reading The exchange of masters was almost a gain to the inhabitants of the region.

intestine

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

From this reading Cruel intestine wars between the descendants of the Frankish conquerors were devastating Gaul when the Arab invasion took place in 719.

invaders

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

From this reading The invaders poured down from the Pyrenees and drove back or subjugated the Visigoths.

invasion

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

From this reading Cruel intestine wars between the descendants of the Frankish conquerors were devastating Gaul when the Arab invasion took place in 719.

masters

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

From this reading The exchange of masters was almost a gain to the inhabitants of the region.

more

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

From this reading The conquerors from the south were more civilized than those from the north.

NARBONNE

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From this reading NARBONNE.

north

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

From this reading The conquerors from the south were more civilized than those from the north.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Cruel intestine wars between the descendants of the Frankish conquerors were devastating Gaul when the Arab invasion took place in 719.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading The invaders poured down from the Pyrenees and drove back or subjugated the Visigoths.

place

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

From this reading Cruel intestine wars between the descendants of the Frankish conquerors were devastating Gaul when the Arab invasion took place in 719.

poured

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

From this reading The invaders poured down from the Pyrenees and drove back or subjugated the Visigoths.

Pyrenees

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

From this reading The invaders poured down from the Pyrenees and drove back or subjugated the Visigoths.

region

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

From this reading The exchange of masters was almost a gain to the inhabitants of the region.

south

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

From this reading The conquerors from the south were more civilized than those from the north.

subjugated

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

From this reading The invaders poured down from the Pyrenees and drove back or subjugated the Visigoths.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading The conquerors from the south were more civilized than those from the north.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Cruel intestine wars between the descendants of the Frankish conquerors were devastating Gaul when the Arab invasion took place in 719.

thosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading The conquerors from the south were more civilized than those from the north.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading The exchange of masters was almost a gain to the inhabitants of the region.

tooknounUS /took/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Cruel intestine wars between the descendants of the Frankish conquerors were devastating Gaul when the Arab invasion took place in 719.

Visigoths

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

From this reading The invaders poured down from the Pyrenees and drove back or subjugated the Visigoths.

wars

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

From this reading Cruel intestine wars between the descendants of the Frankish conquerors were devastating Gaul when the Arab invasion took place in 719.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading The exchange of masters was almost a gain to the inhabitants of the region.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading Cruel intestine wars between the descendants of the Frankish conquerors were devastating Gaul when the Arab invasion took place in 719.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading Cruel intestine wars between the descendants of the Frankish conquerors were devastating Gaul when the Arab invasion took place in 719.