aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading The idea of those strange documents came to Quentin’s mind as he thought about his life.
in the past
From this reading They are parchments from which the first inscriptions were erased years and years ago, to be substituted by others.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading They are parchments from which the first inscriptions were erased years and years ago, to be substituted by others.
from appearances alone
From this reading Eight years of English school had apparently completely erased the memories of his early childhood.
Archæologists
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading INFANCY: SOMBRE VESTIBULE OF LIFE Archæologists guard those curious, twice-written documents called palimpsests as carefully as though they were so much gold.
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They are parchments from which the first inscriptions were erased years and years ago, to be substituted by others.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading INFANCY: SOMBRE VESTIBULE OF LIFE Archæologists guard those curious, twice-written documents called palimpsests as carefully as though they were so much gold.
assiduousadjectiveUS /əˈsɪdwəs/
marked by care and persistent effort
From this reading More recently, assiduous investigators have learned how to bring the erased characters to light, to decipher them, and to read them.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading They are parchments from which the first inscriptions were erased years and years ago, to be substituted by others.
take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading More recently, assiduous investigators have learned how to bring the erased characters to light, to decipher them, and to read them.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading They are parchments from which the first inscriptions were erased years and years ago, to be substituted by others.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading INFANCY: SOMBRE VESTIBULE OF LIFE Archæologists guard those curious, twice-written documents called palimpsests as carefully as though they were so much gold.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading The idea of those strange documents came to Quentin’s mind as he thought about his life.
taking care or paying attention
From this reading INFANCY: SOMBRE VESTIBULE OF LIFE Archæologists guard those curious, twice-written documents called palimpsests as carefully as though they were so much gold.
plural of “character” — an imaginary person represented in a work of fiction (play or film or story)
From this reading More recently, assiduous investigators have learned how to bring the erased characters to light, to decipher them, and to read them.
childhoodnounUS /ˈtʃaɪldhʊd/
the time of person's life when they are a child
From this reading Eight years of English school had apparently completely erased the memories of his early childhood.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading Eight years of English school had apparently completely erased the memories of his early childhood.
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading INFANCY: SOMBRE VESTIBULE OF LIFE Archæologists guard those curious, twice-written documents called palimpsests as carefully as though they were so much gold.
decipherverbUS /dɪˈsaɪfər/
convert code into ordinary language
From this reading More recently, assiduous investigators have learned how to bring the erased characters to light, to decipher them, and to read them.
documentsnounUS /ˈdɑːkjəmənts/
plural of “document” — writing that provides information (especially information of an official nature)
From this reading INFANCY: SOMBRE VESTIBULE OF LIFE Archæologists guard those curious, twice-written documents called palimpsests as carefully as though they were so much gold.
earlyadjectiveUS /ˈɜːrli/
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading Eight years of English school had apparently completely erased the memories of his early childhood.
being one more than seven
From this reading Eight years of English school had apparently completely erased the memories of his early childhood.
an Indo-European language belonging to the West Germanic branch; the official language of Britain and the United States and most of the commonwealth countries
From this reading Eight years of English school had apparently completely erased the memories of his early childhood.
erasedverbUS /ɪˈreɪst/
past form of “erase” — remove from memory or existence
From this reading They are parchments from which the first inscriptions were erased years and years ago, to be substituted by others.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading They are parchments from which the first inscriptions were erased years and years ago, to be substituted by others.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading They are parchments from which the first inscriptions were erased years and years ago, to be substituted by others.
coins made of gold
From this reading INFANCY: SOMBRE VESTIBULE OF LIFE Archæologists guard those curious, twice-written documents called palimpsests as carefully as though they were so much gold.
a person who keeps watch over something or someone
From this reading INFANCY: SOMBRE VESTIBULE OF LIFE Archæologists guard those curious, twice-written documents called palimpsests as carefully as though they were so much gold.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Eight years of English school had apparently completely erased the memories of his early childhood.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading More recently, assiduous investigators have learned how to bring the erased characters to light, to decipher them, and to read them.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The idea of those strange documents came to Quentin’s mind as he thought about his life.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The idea of those strange documents came to Quentin’s mind as he thought about his life.
how
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading More recently, assiduous investigators have learned how to bring the erased characters to light, to decipher them, and to read them.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading The idea of those strange documents came to Quentin’s mind as he thought about his life.
INFANCYnounUS /ˈɪnfənsi/
the early stage of growth or development
From this reading INFANCY: SOMBRE VESTIBULE OF LIFE Archæologists guard those curious, twice-written documents called palimpsests as carefully as though they were so much gold.
inscriptionsnounUS /ˌɪnˈskrɪpʃənz/
plural of “inscription” — letters inscribed (especially words engraved or carved) on something
From this reading They are parchments from which the first inscriptions were erased years and years ago, to be substituted by others.
investigatorsnounUS /ˌɪnˈvestəɡeɪtərz/
plural of “investigator” — a scientist who devotes himself to doing research
From this reading More recently, assiduous investigators have learned how to bring the erased characters to light, to decipher them, and to read them.
having or showing profound knowledge
From this reading More recently, assiduous investigators have learned how to bring the erased characters to light, to decipher them, and to read them.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading INFANCY: SOMBRE VESTIBULE OF LIFE Archæologists guard those curious, twice-written documents called palimpsests as carefully as though they were so much gold.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading More recently, assiduous investigators have learned how to bring the erased characters to light, to decipher them, and to read them.
memoriesnounUS /ˈmɛm.ə.riz/
Recollections of past events.
From this reading Eight years of English school had apparently completely erased the memories of his early childhood.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading The idea of those strange documents came to Quentin’s mind as he thought about his life.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading More recently, assiduous investigators have learned how to bring the erased characters to light, to decipher them, and to read them.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading INFANCY: SOMBRE VESTIBULE OF LIFE Archæologists guard those curious, twice-written documents called palimpsests as carefully as though they were so much gold.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading INFANCY: SOMBRE VESTIBULE OF LIFE Archæologists guard those curious, twice-written documents called palimpsests as carefully as though they were so much gold.
others
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They are parchments from which the first inscriptions were erased years and years ago, to be substituted by others.
palimpsests
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading INFANCY: SOMBRE VESTIBULE OF LIFE Archæologists guard those curious, twice-written documents called palimpsests as carefully as though they were so much gold.
parchments
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They are parchments from which the first inscriptions were erased years and years ago, to be substituted by others.
Quentin's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The idea of those strange documents came to Quentin’s mind as he thought about his life.
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading More recently, assiduous investigators have learned how to bring the erased characters to light, to decipher them, and to read them.
recentlyadverbUS /ˈriːsəntli/
in the recent past
From this reading More recently, assiduous investigators have learned how to bring the erased characters to light, to decipher them, and to read them.
an educational institution
From this reading Eight years of English school had apparently completely erased the memories of his early childhood.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading INFANCY: SOMBRE VESTIBULE OF LIFE Archæologists guard those curious, twice-written documents called palimpsests as carefully as though they were so much gold.
SOMBREadjective
lacking brightness or color; dull
From this reading INFANCY: SOMBRE VESTIBULE OF LIFE Archæologists guard those curious, twice-written documents called palimpsests as carefully as though they were so much gold.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading The idea of those strange documents came to Quentin’s mind as he thought about his life.
substitutedverbUS /ˈsʌbstətuːtɪd/
past form of “substitute” — put in the place of another; switch seemingly equivalent items
From this reading They are parchments from which the first inscriptions were erased years and years ago, to be substituted by others.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading They are parchments from which the first inscriptions were erased years and years ago, to be substituted by others.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading More recently, assiduous investigators have learned how to bring the erased characters to light, to decipher them, and to read them.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading INFANCY: SOMBRE VESTIBULE OF LIFE Archæologists guard those curious, twice-written documents called palimpsests as carefully as though they were so much gold.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading INFANCY: SOMBRE VESTIBULE OF LIFE Archæologists guard those curious, twice-written documents called palimpsests as carefully as though they were so much gold.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading INFANCY: SOMBRE VESTIBULE OF LIFE Archæologists guard those curious, twice-written documents called palimpsests as carefully as though they were so much gold.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading The idea of those strange documents came to Quentin’s mind as he thought about his life.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading They are parchments from which the first inscriptions were erased years and years ago, to be substituted by others.
twice-written
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading INFANCY: SOMBRE VESTIBULE OF LIFE Archæologists guard those curious, twice-written documents called palimpsests as carefully as though they were so much gold.
VESTIBULEnounUS /ˈvestɪbjuːl/
a large entrance or reception room or area
From this reading INFANCY: SOMBRE VESTIBULE OF LIFE Archæologists guard those curious, twice-written documents called palimpsests as carefully as though they were so much gold.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading INFANCY: SOMBRE VESTIBULE OF LIFE Archæologists guard those curious, twice-written documents called palimpsests as carefully as though they were so much gold.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading They are parchments from which the first inscriptions were erased years and years ago, to be substituted by others.
a late time of life
From this reading They are parchments from which the first inscriptions were erased years and years ago, to be substituted by others.
