used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading As a master of style his place is in the first rank among English classical poets.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading And, when he says of Virgil that we find in his diction “all the grace of all the muses often flowering in one lonely word,” he says what is literally true of his own work.
amongprepositionUS /əˈmʌŋ/
surrounded by; in the middle of a group
From this reading As a master of style his place is in the first rank among English classical poets.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And, when he says of Virgil that we find in his diction “all the grace of all the muses often flowering in one lonely word,” he says what is literally true of his own work.
artauxiliary verbUS /ɑːrt/
an old form of “are”, used with “thou”
From this reading But his style is the perfection of art.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As a master of style his place is in the first rank among English classical poets.
next to; at the side of
From this reading In his power of crystallising commonplaces he stands next to Pope, in subtle felicity of expression beside Virgil.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But his style is the perfection of art.
classicaladjectiveUS /ˈklæsɪkəl/
of or relating to the first significant period of a civilization, culture, area of study, etc.
From this reading As a master of style his place is in the first rank among English classical poets.
commonplaces
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In his power of crystallising commonplaces he stands next to Pope, in subtle felicity of expression beside Virgil.
crystallising
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In his power of crystallising commonplaces he stands next to Pope, in subtle felicity of expression beside Virgil.
dictionnounUS /ˈdɪkʃən/
the articulation of speech regarded from the point of view of its intelligibility to the audience
From this reading And, when he says of Virgil that we find in his diction “all the grace of all the muses often flowering in one lonely word,” he says what is literally true of his own work.
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 As a master of style his place is in the first rank among English classical poets.
the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading In his power of crystallising commonplaces he stands next to Pope, in subtle felicity of expression beside Virgil.
felicitynounUS /fɪˈlɪsəti/
pleasing and appropriate manner or style (especially manner or style of expression)
From this reading In his power of crystallising commonplaces he stands next to Pope, in subtle felicity of expression beside Virgil.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading And, when he says of Virgil that we find in his diction “all the grace of all the muses often flowering in one lonely word,” he says what is literally true of his own work.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading As a master of style his place is in the first rank among English classical poets.
floweringnounUS /ˈflaʊərɪŋ/
the time and process of budding and unfolding of blossoms
From this reading And, when he says of Virgil that we find in his diction “all the grace of all the muses often flowering in one lonely word,” he says what is literally true of his own work.
(Christian theology) a state of sanctification by God; the state of one who is under such divine influence
From this reading And, when he says of Virgil that we find in his diction “all the grace of all the muses often flowering in one lonely word,” he says what is literally true of his own work.
a neutral achromatic color midway between white and black
From this reading His diction, like the diction of Milton and Gray, resembles mosaic work.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading In his power of crystallising commonplaces he stands next to Pope, in subtle felicity of expression beside Virgil.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading In his power of crystallising commonplaces he stands next to Pope, in subtle felicity of expression beside Virgil.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In his power of crystallising commonplaces he stands next to Pope, in subtle felicity of expression beside Virgil.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading And, when he says of Virgil that we find in his diction “all the grace of all the muses often flowering in one lonely word,” he says what is literally true of his own work.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading His diction, like the diction of Milton and Gray, resembles mosaic work.
literallyadverbUS /ˈlɪtərəli/
in a literal sense
From this reading And, when he says of Virgil that we find in his diction “all the grace of all the muses often flowering in one lonely word,” he says what is literally true of his own work.
lacking companions or companionship
From this reading And, when he says of Virgil that we find in his diction “all the grace of all the muses often flowering in one lonely word,” he says what is literally true of his own work.
an artist of consummate skill
From this reading As a master of style his place is in the first rank among English classical poets.
MiltonnounUS /ˈmɪltən/
English poet; remembered primarily as the author of an epic poem describing humanity's fall from grace (1608-1674)
From this reading His diction, like the diction of Milton and Gray, resembles mosaic work.
mosaicnounUS /moʊˈzeɪɪk/
art consisting of a design made of small pieces of colored stone or glass
From this reading His diction, like the diction of Milton and Gray, resembles mosaic work.
musesnounUS /ˈmjuːzəz/
plural of “mus” — type genus of the Muridae: common house mice; the tips of the upper incisors have a square notch
From this reading And, when he says of Virgil that we find in his diction “all the grace of all the muses often flowering in one lonely word,” he says what is literally true of his own work.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading In his power of crystallising commonplaces he stands next to Pope, in subtle felicity of expression beside Virgil.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading In his power of crystallising commonplaces he stands next to Pope, in subtle felicity of expression beside Virgil.
many times at short intervals
From this reading And, when he says of Virgil that we find in his diction “all the grace of all the muses often flowering in one lonely word,” he says what is literally true of his own work.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading And, when he says of Virgil that we find in his diction “all the grace of all the muses often flowering in one lonely word,” he says what is literally true of his own work.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading And, when he says of Virgil that we find in his diction “all the grace of all the muses often flowering in one lonely word,” he says what is literally true of his own work.
perfectionnounUS /pərˈfekʃən/
the state of being without a flaw or defect
From this reading But his style is the perfection of art.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading As a master of style his place is in the first rank among English classical poets.
poetsnounUS /ˈpoʊəts/
plural of “poet” — a writer of poems (the term is usually reserved for writers of good poetry)
From this reading As a master of style his place is in the first rank among English classical poets.
PopenounUS /poʊp/
the head of the Roman Catholic Church
From this reading In his power of crystallising commonplaces he stands next to Pope, in subtle felicity of expression beside Virgil.
possession of controlling influence
From this reading In his power of crystallising commonplaces he stands next to Pope, in subtle felicity of expression beside Virgil.
a row or line of people (especially soldiers or police) standing abreast of one another
From this reading As a master of style his place is in the first rank among English classical poets.
resemblesverbUS /rɪˈzembəlz/
third-person singular of “resemble” — appear like; be similar or bear a likeness to
From this reading His diction, like the diction of Milton and Gray, resembles mosaic work.
plural of “say” — the chance to speak
From this reading And, when he says of Virgil that we find in his diction “all the grace of all the muses often flowering in one lonely word,” he says what is literally true of his own work.
plural of “stand” — a support or foundation
From this reading In his power of crystallising commonplaces he stands next to Pope, in subtle felicity of expression beside Virgil.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading As a master of style his place is in the first rank among English classical poets.
subtleadjectiveUS /ˈsʌtəl/
difficult to detect or grasp by the mind or analyze
From this reading In his power of crystallising commonplaces he stands next to Pope, in subtle felicity of expression beside Virgil.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading And, when he says of Virgil that we find in his diction “all the grace of all the muses often flowering in one lonely word,” he says what is literally true of his own work.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading And, when he says of Virgil that we find in his diction “all the grace of all the muses often flowering in one lonely word,” he says what is literally true of his own work.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading In his power of crystallising commonplaces he stands next to Pope, in subtle felicity of expression beside Virgil.
consistent with fact or reality; not false
From this reading And, when he says of Virgil that we find in his diction “all the grace of all the muses often flowering in one lonely word,” he says what is literally true of his own work.
VirgilnounUS /ˈvɜːrdʒəl/
a Roman poet; author of the epic poem “Aeneid” (70-19 BC)
From this reading In his power of crystallising commonplaces he stands next to Pope, in subtle felicity of expression beside Virgil.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading And, when he says of Virgil that we find in his diction “all the grace of all the muses often flowering in one lonely word,” he says what is literally true of his own work.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading And, when he says of Virgil that we find in his diction “all the grace of all the muses often flowering in one lonely word,” he says what is literally true of his own work.
at the time that
From this reading And, when he says of Virgil that we find in his diction “all the grace of all the muses often flowering in one lonely word,” he says what is literally true of his own work.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading And, when he says of Virgil that we find in his diction “all the grace of all the muses often flowering in one lonely word,” he says what is literally true of his own work.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading And, when he says of Virgil that we find in his diction “all the grace of all the muses often flowering in one lonely word,” he says what is literally true of his own work.
