used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A CAMEL JOURNEY.--THE ISLAND OF PHILÆ, AND THE FIRST CATARACT OF THE NILE.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading It is about five miles from Assouan to Philæ, and the road is chiefly through the rocky desert, or along the equally rocky bank of the river.
alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading It is about five miles from Assouan to Philæ, and the road is chiefly through the rocky desert, or along the equally rocky bank of the river.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A CAMEL JOURNEY.--THE ISLAND OF PHILÆ, AND THE FIRST CATARACT OF THE NILE.
Assouannoun
an ancient city on the Nile in Egypt; two dams across the Nile have been built nearby
From this reading It is about five miles from Assouan to Philæ, and the road is chiefly through the rocky desert, or along the equally rocky bank of the river.
backsnounUS /bæks/
plural of “back” — the posterior part of a human (or animal) body from the neck to the end of the spine
From this reading They were to make their excursion to the island of Philæ on the backs of camels.
sloping land (especially the slope beside a body of water)
From this reading It is about five miles from Assouan to Philæ, and the road is chiefly through the rocky desert, or along the equally rocky bank of the river.
CAMELnounUS /ˈkæməl/
cud-chewing mammal used as a draft or saddle animal in desert regions
From this reading A CAMEL JOURNEY.--THE ISLAND OF PHILÆ, AND THE FIRST CATARACT OF THE NILE.
camelsnounUS /ˈkæməlz/
plural of “camel” — cud-chewing mammal used as a draft or saddle animal in desert regions
From this reading They were to make their excursion to the island of Philæ on the backs of camels.
CATARACTnounUS /ˈkætərækt/
an eye disease that involves the clouding or opacification of the natural lens of the eye
From this reading A CAMEL JOURNEY.--THE ISLAND OF PHILÆ, AND THE FIRST CATARACT OF THE NILE.
chieflyadverbUS /ˈtʃiːfli/
for the most part
From this reading It is about five miles from Assouan to Philæ, and the road is chiefly through the rocky desert, or along the equally rocky bank of the river.
the person or thing chosen or selected
From this reading The travellers had the choice of camels or donkeys for the journey, and the two youths unhesitatingly decided in favor of the former.
recognizable; marked
From this reading The travellers had the choice of camels or donkeys for the journey, and the two youths unhesitatingly decided in favor of the former.
leave someone who needs or counts on you; leave in the lurch
From this reading It is about five miles from Assouan to Philæ, and the road is chiefly through the rocky desert, or along the equally rocky bank of the river.
destinedadjectiveUS /ˈdestɪnd/
headed or intending to head in a certain direction; often used as a combining form as in “college-bound students”
From this reading Frank and Fred were destined to enjoy a novelty in the way of travelling.
donkeysnounUS /ˈdɑːŋkiz/
plural of “donkey” — the symbol of the Democratic Party; introduced in cartoons by Thomas Nast in 1874
From this reading The travellers had the choice of camels or donkeys for the journey, and the two youths unhesitatingly decided in favor of the former.
derive or receive pleasure from; get enjoyment from; take pleasure in
From this reading Frank and Fred were destined to enjoy a novelty in the way of travelling.
to the same degree (often followed by “as”)
From this reading It is about five miles from Assouan to Philæ, and the road is chiefly through the rocky desert, or along the equally rocky bank of the river.
excursionnounUS /ɪkˈskɜːrʒən/
a journey taken for pleasure
From this reading They were to make their excursion to the island of Philæ on the backs of camels.
promote over another
From this reading The travellers had the choice of camels or donkeys for the journey, and the two youths unhesitatingly decided in favor of the former.
FIRSTadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading A CAMEL JOURNEY.--THE ISLAND OF PHILÆ, AND THE FIRST CATARACT OF THE NILE.
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading It is about five miles from Assouan to Philæ, and the road is chiefly through the rocky desert, or along the equally rocky bank of the river.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The travellers had the choice of camels or donkeys for the journey, and the two youths unhesitatingly decided in favor of the former.
referring to the first of two things or persons mentioned (or the earlier one or ones of several)
From this reading The travellers had the choice of camels or donkeys for the journey, and the two youths unhesitatingly decided in favor of the former.
characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion
From this reading Frank and Fred were destined to enjoy a novelty in the way of travelling.
Fred
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Frank and Fred were destined to enjoy a novelty in the way of travelling.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading It is about five miles from Assouan to Philæ, and the road is chiefly through the rocky desert, or along the equally rocky bank of the river.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The travellers had the choice of camels or donkeys for the journey, and the two youths unhesitatingly decided in favor of the former.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Frank and Fred were destined to enjoy a novelty in the way of travelling.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It is about five miles from Assouan to Philæ, and the road is chiefly through the rocky desert, or along the equally rocky bank of the river.
a land mass (smaller than a continent) that is surrounded by water
From this reading A CAMEL JOURNEY.--THE ISLAND OF PHILÆ, AND THE FIRST CATARACT OF THE NILE.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It is about five miles from Assouan to Philæ, and the road is chiefly through the rocky desert, or along the equally rocky bank of the river.
undertake a journey or trip
From this reading A CAMEL JOURNEY.--THE ISLAND OF PHILÆ, AND THE FIRST CATARACT OF THE NILE.
engage in
From this reading They were to make their excursion to the island of Philæ on the backs of camels.
plural of “mile” — a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters
From this reading It is about five miles from Assouan to Philæ, and the road is chiefly through the rocky desert, or along the equally rocky bank of the river.
NILEnounUS /naɪl/
the world's longest river (4150 miles); flows northward through eastern Africa into the Mediterranean; the Nile River valley in Egypt was the site of the world's first great civilization
From this reading A CAMEL JOURNEY.--THE ISLAND OF PHILÆ, AND THE FIRST CATARACT OF THE NILE.
noveltynounUS /ˈnɑːvəlti/
originality by virtue of being refreshingly novel
From this reading Frank and Fred were destined to enjoy a novelty in the way of travelling.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A CAMEL JOURNEY.--THE ISLAND OF PHILÆ, AND THE FIRST CATARACT OF THE NILE.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading They were to make their excursion to the island of Philæ on the backs of camels.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading It is about five miles from Assouan to Philæ, and the road is chiefly through the rocky desert, or along the equally rocky bank of the river.
PHILÆ
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A CAMEL JOURNEY.--THE ISLAND OF PHILÆ, AND THE FIRST CATARACT OF THE NILE.
a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)
From this reading It is about five miles from Assouan to Philæ, and the road is chiefly through the rocky desert, or along the equally rocky bank of the river.
an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation
From this reading It is about five miles from Assouan to Philæ, and the road is chiefly through the rocky desert, or along the equally rocky bank of the river.
rockyadjectiveUS /ˈrɑːki/
abounding in rocks or stones
From this reading It is about five miles from Assouan to Philæ, and the road is chiefly through the rocky desert, or along the equally rocky bank of the river.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A CAMEL JOURNEY.--THE ISLAND OF PHILÆ, AND THE FIRST CATARACT OF THE NILE.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading They were to make their excursion to the island of Philæ on the backs of camels.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They were to make their excursion to the island of Philæ on the backs of camels.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading It is about five miles from Assouan to Philæ, and the road is chiefly through the rocky desert, or along the equally rocky bank of the river.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Frank and Fred were destined to enjoy a novelty in the way of travelling.
travellersnounUS /ˈtrævələrz/
plural of “traveller” — a person who changes location
From this reading The travellers had the choice of camels or donkeys for the journey, and the two youths unhesitatingly decided in favor of the former.
the act of going from one place to another
From this reading Frank and Fred were destined to enjoy a novelty in the way of travelling.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading The travellers had the choice of camels or donkeys for the journey, and the two youths unhesitatingly decided in favor of the former.
unhesitatinglyadverbUS /ənˈhezɪteɪtɪŋli/
without hesitation
From this reading The travellers had the choice of camels or donkeys for the journey, and the two youths unhesitatingly decided in favor of the former.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading Frank and Fred were destined to enjoy a novelty in the way of travelling.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Frank and Fred were destined to enjoy a novelty in the way of travelling.
youthsnounUS /juːðz/
plural of “youth” — a young person (especially a young man or boy)
From this reading The travellers had the choice of camels or donkeys for the journey, and the two youths unhesitatingly decided in favor of the former.
