used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading It had met an Arab trader coming up the river with his porters and some armed men for a bodyguard.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading When he saw the villagers’ rubber and palm oil and heard about their country, he seemed much interested, and wished to try their markets.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading It had met an Arab trader coming up the river with his porters and some armed men for a bodyguard.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading THE HYRAX AND THE ELEPHANT The returning caravan brought new people to the village.
ArabnounUS /ˈærəb/
a member of a Semitic people originally from the Arabian peninsula and surrounding territories who speaks Arabic and who inhabits much of the Middle East and northern Africa
From this reading It had met an Arab trader coming up the river with his porters and some armed men for a bodyguard.
(used of persons or the military) characterized by having or bearing arms
From this reading It had met an Arab trader coming up the river with his porters and some armed men for a bodyguard.
BantunounUS /ˈbæntuː/
a member of any of a large number of linguistically related peoples of Central and South Africa
From this reading The Arab could speak a little Bantu, and the language he talked to his men was a dialect called Swahili, which is something like Bantu and is spoken by most of the traders.
bodyguardnounUS /ˈbɑːdiɡɑːrd/
someone who escorts and protects a prominent person
From this reading It had met an Arab trader coming up the river with his porters and some armed men for a bodyguard.
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading THE HYRAX AND THE ELEPHANT The returning caravan brought new people to the village.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The Arab could speak a little Bantu, and the language he talked to his men was a dialect called Swahili, which is something like Bantu and is spoken by most of the traders.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading The Arab could speak a little Bantu, and the language he talked to his men was a dialect called Swahili, which is something like Bantu and is spoken by most of the traders.
caravannounUS /ˈkærəvæn/
a procession (of wagons or mules or camels) traveling together in single file
From this reading THE HYRAX AND THE ELEPHANT The returning caravan brought new people to the village.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading It had met an Arab trader coming up the river with his porters and some armed men for a bodyguard.
an institution created to conduct business
From this reading He seemed very glad of their company on the journey.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading The Arab could speak a little Bantu, and the language he talked to his men was a dialect called Swahili, which is something like Bantu and is spoken by most of the traders.
a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading When he saw the villagers’ rubber and palm oil and heard about their country, he seemed much interested, and wished to try their markets.
dialectnounUS /ˈdaɪəlekt/
the usage or vocabulary that is characteristic of a specific group of people
From this reading The Arab could speak a little Bantu, and the language he talked to his men was a dialect called Swahili, which is something like Bantu and is spoken by most of the traders.
ELEPHANTnounUS /ˈeləfənt/
five-toed pachyderm
From this reading THE HYRAX AND THE ELEPHANT The returning caravan brought new people to the village.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading It had met an Arab trader coming up the river with his porters and some armed men for a bodyguard.
showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy
From this reading He seemed very glad of their company on the journey.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It had met an Arab trader coming up the river with his porters and some armed men for a bodyguard.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The Arab could speak a little Bantu, and the language he talked to his men was a dialect called Swahili, which is something like Bantu and is spoken by most of the traders.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading When he saw the villagers’ rubber and palm oil and heard about their country, he seemed much interested, and wished to try their markets.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading It had met an Arab trader coming up the river with his porters and some armed men for a bodyguard.
HYRAXnoun
any of several small ungulate mammals of Africa and Asia with rodent-like incisors and feet with hooflike toes
From this reading THE HYRAX AND THE ELEPHANT The returning caravan brought new people to the village.
having or showing interest; especially curiosity or fascination or concern
From this reading When he saw the villagers’ rubber and palm oil and heard about their country, he seemed much interested, and wished to try their markets.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The Arab could speak a little Bantu, and the language he talked to his men was a dialect called Swahili, which is something like Bantu and is spoken by most of the traders.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It had met an Arab trader coming up the river with his porters and some armed men for a bodyguard.
undertake a journey or trip
From this reading He seemed very glad of their company on the journey.
a systematic means of communicating by the use of sounds or conventional symbols
From this reading The Arab could speak a little Bantu, and the language he talked to his men was a dialect called Swahili, which is something like Bantu and is spoken by most of the traders.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading The Arab could speak a little Bantu, and the language he talked to his men was a dialect called Swahili, which is something like Bantu and is spoken by most of the traders.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The Arab could speak a little Bantu, and the language he talked to his men was a dialect called Swahili, which is something like Bantu and is spoken by most of the traders.
marketsnounUS /ˈmɑːrkəts/
plural of “market” — the world of commercial activity where goods and services are bought and sold
From this reading When he saw the villagers’ rubber and palm oil and heard about their country, he seemed much interested, and wished to try their markets.
the force of workers available
From this reading It had met an Arab trader coming up the river with his porters and some armed men for a bodyguard.
inflected form of “meet” — come together
From this reading It had met an Arab trader coming up the river with his porters and some armed men for a bodyguard.
used to form the superlative
From this reading The Arab could speak a little Bantu, and the language he talked to his men was a dialect called Swahili, which is something like Bantu and is spoken by most of the traders.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading When he saw the villagers’ rubber and palm oil and heard about their country, he seemed much interested, and wished to try their markets.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading THE HYRAX AND THE ELEPHANT The returning caravan brought new people to the village.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The Arab could speak a little Bantu, and the language he talked to his men was a dialect called Swahili, which is something like Bantu and is spoken by most of the traders.
A viscous liquid derived from petroleum or plants, stored in large earthen jars.
From this reading When he saw the villagers’ rubber and palm oil and heard about their country, he seemed much interested, and wished to try their markets.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He seemed very glad of their company on the journey.
palmnounUS /pɑːm/
the inner surface of the hand from the wrist to the base of the fingers
From this reading When he saw the villagers’ rubber and palm oil and heard about their country, he seemed much interested, and wished to try their markets.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading THE HYRAX AND THE ELEPHANT The returning caravan brought new people to the village.
portersnounUS /ˈpɔːrtərz/
plural of “porter” — a person employed to carry luggage and supplies
From this reading It had met an Arab trader coming up the river with his porters and some armed men for a bodyguard.
tending to return to an earlier state
From this reading THE HYRAX AND THE ELEPHANT The returning caravan brought new people to the village.
a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)
From this reading It had met an Arab trader coming up the river with his porters and some armed men for a bodyguard.
rubbernounUS /ˈrʌbər/
an elastic material obtained from the latex sap of trees (especially trees of the genera Hevea and Ficus) that can be vulcanized and finished into a variety of products
From this reading When he saw the villagers’ rubber and palm oil and heard about their country, he seemed much interested, and wished to try their markets.
cut with a saw
From this reading When he saw the villagers’ rubber and palm oil and heard about their country, he seemed much interested, and wished to try their markets.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading When he saw the villagers’ rubber and palm oil and heard about their country, he seemed much interested, and wished to try their markets.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading It had met an Arab trader coming up the river with his porters and some armed men for a bodyguard.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading The Arab could speak a little Bantu, and the language he talked to his men was a dialect called Swahili, which is something like Bantu and is spoken by most of the traders.
express in speech
From this reading The Arab could speak a little Bantu, and the language he talked to his men was a dialect called Swahili, which is something like Bantu and is spoken by most of the traders.
uttered through the medium of speech or characterized by speech; sometimes used in combination
From this reading The Arab could speak a little Bantu, and the language he talked to his men was a dialect called Swahili, which is something like Bantu and is spoken by most of the traders.
SwahilinounUS /swɑːˈhiːli/
the most widely spoken Bantu languages; the official language of Kenya and Tanzania and widely used as a lingua franca in east and central Africa
From this reading The Arab could speak a little Bantu, and the language he talked to his men was a dialect called Swahili, which is something like Bantu and is spoken by most of the traders.
past form of “talk” — exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading The Arab could speak a little Bantu, and the language he talked to his men was a dialect called Swahili, which is something like Bantu and is spoken by most of the traders.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE HYRAX AND THE ELEPHANT The returning caravan brought new people to the village.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading When he saw the villagers’ rubber and palm oil and heard about their country, he seemed much interested, and wished to try their markets.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading THE HYRAX AND THE ELEPHANT The returning caravan brought new people to the village.
tradernounUS /ˈtreɪdər/
someone who purchases and maintains an inventory of goods to be sold
From this reading It had met an Arab trader coming up the river with his porters and some armed men for a bodyguard.
tradersnounUS /ˈtreɪdərz/
plural of “trader” — someone who purchases and maintains an inventory of goods to be sold
From this reading The Arab could speak a little Bantu, and the language he talked to his men was a dialect called Swahili, which is something like Bantu and is spoken by most of the traders.
make an effort or attempt
From this reading When he saw the villagers’ rubber and palm oil and heard about their country, he seemed much interested, and wished to try their markets.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading It had met an Arab trader coming up the river with his porters and some armed men for a bodyguard.
precisely as stated
From this reading He seemed very glad of their company on the journey.
a community of people smaller than a town
From this reading THE HYRAX AND THE ELEPHANT The returning caravan brought new people to the village.
villagersnounUS /ˈvɪlɪdʒərz/
plural of “villager” — one who has lived in a village most of their life
From this reading When he saw the villagers’ rubber and palm oil and heard about their country, he seemed much interested, and wished to try their markets.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The Arab could speak a little Bantu, and the language he talked to his men was a dialect called Swahili, which is something like Bantu and is spoken by most of the traders.
at the time that
From this reading When he saw the villagers’ rubber and palm oil and heard about their country, he seemed much interested, and wished to try their markets.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The Arab could speak a little Bantu, and the language he talked to his men was a dialect called Swahili, which is something like Bantu and is spoken by most of the traders.
past form of “wish” — hope for; have a wish
From this reading When he saw the villagers’ rubber and palm oil and heard about their country, he seemed much interested, and wished to try their markets.
in the company of; together with
From this reading It had met an Arab trader coming up the river with his porters and some armed men for a bodyguard.
