used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading 'Over the host an eagle flew, holding in its talons a blood-red serpent.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading On came the Trojans against that wall, holding their shields of bulls' hides before them.
alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading From the towers that were along the wall the Greeks flung great stones upon the attackers.'
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading 'Over the host an eagle flew, holding in its talons a blood-red serpent.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading 'And even as he left old Nestor's hut, Hector was before the wall the Greeks had builded to guard their ships.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading 'And even as he left old Nestor's hut, Hector was before the wall the Greeks had builded to guard their ships.
attackersnounUS /əˈtækərz/
plural of “attacker” — someone who attacks
From this reading From the towers that were along the wall the Greeks flung great stones upon the attackers.'
earlier than; in front of
From this reading 'And even as he left old Nestor's hut, Hector was before the wall the Greeks had builded to guard their ships.
blood-redadjective
of a color at the end of the color spectrum (next to orange); resembling the color of blood or cherries or tomatoes or rubies
From this reading 'Over the host an eagle flew, holding in its talons a blood-red serpent.
the two together, not just one
From this reading The serpent struggled with the eagle and the eagle with the serpent, and both had sorely wounded each other.
builded
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'And even as he left old Nestor's hut, Hector was before the wall the Greeks had builded to guard their ships.
bullsnounUS /bʊlz/
plural of “bull” — uncastrated adult male of domestic cattle
From this reading On came the Trojans against that wall, holding their shields of bulls' hides before them.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading On came the Trojans against that wall, holding their shields of bulls' hides before them.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading The serpent struggled with the eagle and the eagle with the serpent, and both had sorely wounded each other.
eaglenounUS /ˈiːɡəl/
any of various large keen-sighted diurnal birds of prey noted for their broad wings and strong soaring flight
From this reading 'Over the host an eagle flew, holding in its talons a blood-red serpent.
divisible by two
From this reading 'And even as he left old Nestor's hut, Hector was before the wall the Greeks had builded to guard their ships.
inflected form of “fly” — travel through the air; be airborne
From this reading 'Over the host an eagle flew, holding in its talons a blood-red serpent.
inflected form of “fling” — throw with force or recklessness
From this reading From the towers that were along the wall the Greeks flung great stones upon the attackers.'
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading From the towers that were along the wall the Greeks flung great stones upon the attackers.'
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading From the towers that were along the wall the Greeks flung great stones upon the attackers.'
GreeksnounUS /ɡriːks/
plural of “greek” — the Hellenic branch of the Indo-European family of languages
From this reading 'And even as he left old Nestor's hut, Hector was before the wall the Greeks had builded to guard their ships.
a person who keeps watch over something or someone
From this reading 'And even as he left old Nestor's hut, Hector was before the wall the Greeks had builded to guard their ships.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading 'And even as he left old Nestor's hut, Hector was before the wall the Greeks had builded to guard their ships.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading 'And even as he left old Nestor's hut, Hector was before the wall the Greeks had builded to guard their ships.
HectornounUS /ˈhektər/
(Greek mythology) a mythical Trojan who was killed by Achilles during the Trojan War
From this reading 'And even as he left old Nestor's hut, Hector was before the wall the Greeks had builded to guard their ships.
hidesnounUS /haɪdz/
plural of “hide” — the dressed skin of an animal (especially a large animal)
From this reading On came the Trojans against that wall, holding their shields of bulls' hides before them.
the act of retaining something
From this reading On came the Trojans against that wall, holding their shields of bulls' hides before them.
a person who invites guests to a social event (such as a party in his or her own home) and who is responsible for them while they are there
From this reading 'Over the host an eagle flew, holding in its talons a blood-red serpent.
temporary military shelter
From this reading 'And even as he left old Nestor's hut, Hector was before the wall the Greeks had builded to guard their ships.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading 'Over the host an eagle flew, holding in its talons a blood-red serpent.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading 'Over the host an eagle flew, holding in its talons a blood-red serpent.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading 'And even as he left old Nestor's hut, Hector was before the wall the Greeks had builded to guard their ships.
Nestor's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'And even as he left old Nestor's hut, Hector was before the wall the Greeks had builded to guard their ships.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading On came the Trojans against that wall, holding their shields of bulls' hides before them.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading 'And even as he left old Nestor's hut, Hector was before the wall the Greeks had builded to guard their ships.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading On came the Trojans against that wall, holding their shields of bulls' hides before them.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading The serpent struggled with the eagle and the eagle with the serpent, and both had sorely wounded each other.
OverprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading 'Over the host an eagle flew, holding in its talons a blood-red serpent.
serpentnounUS /ˈsɜːrpənt/
limbless scaly elongate reptile; some are venomous
From this reading 'Over the host an eagle flew, holding in its talons a blood-red serpent.
shieldsnounUS /ʃiːldz/
plural of “shield” — a protective covering or structure
From this reading On came the Trojans against that wall, holding their shields of bulls' hides before them.
plural of “ship” — a vessel that carries passengers or freight
From this reading 'And even as he left old Nestor's hut, Hector was before the wall the Greeks had builded to guard their ships.
sorelyadverbUS /ˈsɔːrli/
to a great degree
From this reading The serpent struggled with the eagle and the eagle with the serpent, and both had sorely wounded each other.
plural of “stone” — a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading From the towers that were along the wall the Greeks flung great stones upon the attackers.'
struggledverbUS /ˈstrʌɡəld/
past form of “struggle” — make a strenuous or labored effort
From this reading The serpent struggled with the eagle and the eagle with the serpent, and both had sorely wounded each other.
talonsnounUS /ˈtælənz/
plural of “talon” — a sharp hooked claw especially on a bird of prey
From this reading 'Over the host an eagle flew, holding in its talons a blood-red serpent.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading On came the Trojans against that wall, holding their shields of bulls' hides before them.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading 'And even as he left old Nestor's hut, Hector was before the wall the Greeks had builded to guard their ships.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading 'And even as he left old Nestor's hut, Hector was before the wall the Greeks had builded to guard their ships.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading On came the Trojans against that wall, holding their shields of bulls' hides before them.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading 'And even as he left old Nestor's hut, Hector was before the wall the Greeks had builded to guard their ships.
towersnounUS /ˈtaʊərz/
plural of “tower” — a structure taller than its diameter; can stand alone or be attached to a larger building
From this reading From the towers that were along the wall the Greeks flung great stones upon the attackers.'
TrojansnounUS /ˈtroʊdʒənz/
plural of “trojan” — a native of ancient Troy
From this reading On came the Trojans against that wall, holding their shields of bulls' hides before them.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading From the towers that were along the wall the Greeks flung great stones upon the attackers.'
an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure
From this reading 'And even as he left old Nestor's hut, Hector was before the wall the Greeks had builded to guard their ships.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading 'And even as he left old Nestor's hut, Hector was before the wall the Greeks had builded to guard their ships.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading From the towers that were along the wall the Greeks flung great stones upon the attackers.'
in the company of; together with
From this reading The serpent struggled with the eagle and the eagle with the serpent, and both had sorely wounded each other.
people who are wounded
From this reading The serpent struggled with the eagle and the eagle with the serpent, and both had sorely wounded each other.
