used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The Black Week had just ended; but the humiliation of it lay, as a dead weight, upon the heart of London.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Three crushing reverses in eight days--Stormberg, Magersfontein, and finally Colenso!
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading It has been universally assumed that the English are a serious nation.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The Black Week had just ended; but the humiliation of it lay, as a dead weight, upon the heart of London.
adopted in order to deceive
From this reading It has been universally assumed that the English are a serious nation.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading It was a sorry tale, and one over which Europe at large chuckled.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading It has been universally assumed that the English are a serious nation.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading The Black Week had just ended; but the humiliation of it lay, as a dead weight, upon the heart of London.
blunderingverbUS /ˈblʌndərɪŋ/
-ing form of “blunder” — commit a faux pas or a fault or make a serious mistake
From this reading There was no getting rid of the facts, or the meaning of them in respect of incapacity, blundering, and reckless waste of personal valour.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The Black Week had just ended; but the humiliation of it lay, as a dead weight, upon the heart of London.
chuckledverbUS /ˈtʃʌkəld/
past form of “chuckle” — laugh quietly or with restraint
From this reading It was a sorry tale, and one over which Europe at large chuckled.
Colenso
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Three crushing reverses in eight days--Stormberg, Magersfontein, and finally Colenso!
crushingadjectiveUS /ˈkrʌʃɪŋ/
physically or spiritually devastating; often used in combination
From this reading Three crushing reverses in eight days--Stormberg, Magersfontein, and finally Colenso!
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading Three crushing reverses in eight days--Stormberg, Magersfontein, and finally Colenso!
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading The Black Week had just ended; but the humiliation of it lay, as a dead weight, upon the heart of London.
being one more than seven
From this reading Three crushing reverses in eight days--Stormberg, Magersfontein, and finally Colenso!
endedadjectiveUS /ˈendəd/
having come or been brought to a conclusion
From this reading The Black Week had just ended; but the humiliation of it lay, as a dead weight, upon the heart of London.
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 It has been universally assumed that the English are a serious nation.
the 2nd smallest continent (actually a vast peninsula of Eurasia); the British use “Europe” to refer to all of the continent except the British Isles
From this reading It was a sorry tale, and one over which Europe at large chuckled.
plural of “fact” — a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading There was no getting rid of the facts, or the meaning of them in respect of incapacity, blundering, and reckless waste of personal valour.
after an unspecified period of time or an especially long delay
From this reading Three crushing reverses in eight days--Stormberg, Magersfontein, and finally Colenso!
the act of acquiring something
From this reading There was no getting rid of the facts, or the meaning of them in respect of incapacity, blundering, and reckless waste of personal valour.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The Black Week had just ended; but the humiliation of it lay, as a dead weight, upon the heart of London.
hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It has been universally assumed that the English are a serious nation.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading The Black Week had just ended; but the humiliation of it lay, as a dead weight, upon the heart of London.
humiliationnounUS /hjuːˌmɪliˈeɪʃən/
state of disgrace or loss of self-respect
From this reading The Black Week had just ended; but the humiliation of it lay, as a dead weight, upon the heart of London.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Three crushing reverses in eight days--Stormberg, Magersfontein, and finally Colenso!
incapacitynounUS /ˌɪnkəˈpæsəti/
lack of intellectual power
From this reading There was no getting rid of the facts, or the meaning of them in respect of incapacity, blundering, and reckless waste of personal valour.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The Black Week had just ended; but the humiliation of it lay, as a dead weight, upon the heart of London.
and nothing more
From this reading The Black Week had just ended; but the humiliation of it lay, as a dead weight, upon the heart of London.
largeadjectiveUS /lɑːrdʒ/
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading It was a sorry tale, and one over which Europe at large chuckled.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading The Black Week had just ended; but the humiliation of it lay, as a dead weight, upon the heart of London.
the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center
From this reading The Black Week had just ended; but the humiliation of it lay, as a dead weight, upon the heart of London.
Magersfontein
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Three crushing reverses in eight days--Stormberg, Magersfontein, and finally Colenso!
the message that is intended or expressed or signified
From this reading There was no getting rid of the facts, or the meaning of them in respect of incapacity, blundering, and reckless waste of personal valour.
a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading It has been universally assumed that the English are a serious nation.
not any; not one
From this reading There was no getting rid of the facts, or the meaning of them in respect of incapacity, blundering, and reckless waste of personal valour.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The Black Week had just ended; but the humiliation of it lay, as a dead weight, upon the heart of London.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading It was a sorry tale, and one over which Europe at large chuckled.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading There was no getting rid of the facts, or the meaning of them in respect of incapacity, blundering, and reckless waste of personal valour.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading It was a sorry tale, and one over which Europe at large chuckled.
concerning or affecting a particular person or his or her private life and personality
From this reading There was no getting rid of the facts, or the meaning of them in respect of incapacity, blundering, and reckless waste of personal valour.
recklessadjectiveUS /ˈrekləs/
marked by defiant disregard for danger or consequences
From this reading There was no getting rid of the facts, or the meaning of them in respect of incapacity, blundering, and reckless waste of personal valour.
(usually preceded by “in”) a detail or point
From this reading There was no getting rid of the facts, or the meaning of them in respect of incapacity, blundering, and reckless waste of personal valour.
reversesnounUS /rɪˈvɜːrsɪz/
plural of “revers” — a lapel on a woman's garment; turned back to show the reverse side
From this reading Three crushing reverses in eight days--Stormberg, Magersfontein, and finally Colenso!
relieve from
From this reading There was no getting rid of the facts, or the meaning of them in respect of incapacity, blundering, and reckless waste of personal valour.
concerned with work or important matters rather than play or trivialities
From this reading It has been universally assumed that the English are a serious nation.
sorryadjectiveUS /ˈsɑːri/
feeling or expressing regret or sorrow or a sense of loss over something done or undone
From this reading It was a sorry tale, and one over which Europe at large chuckled.
Stormberg
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Three crushing reverses in eight days--Stormberg, Magersfontein, and finally Colenso!
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading It was a sorry tale, and one over which Europe at large chuckled.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It has been universally assumed that the English are a serious nation.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Black Week had just ended; but the humiliation of it lay, as a dead weight, upon the heart of London.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading There was no getting rid of the facts, or the meaning of them in respect of incapacity, blundering, and reckless waste of personal valour.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was no getting rid of the facts, or the meaning of them in respect of incapacity, blundering, and reckless waste of personal valour.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading Three crushing reverses in eight days--Stormberg, Magersfontein, and finally Colenso!
universallyadverbUS /ˌjuːnəˈvɜːrsəli/
everywhere
From this reading It has been universally assumed that the English are a serious nation.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading The Black Week had just ended; but the humiliation of it lay, as a dead weight, upon the heart of London.
valournoun
the qualities of a hero or heroine; exceptional or heroic courage when facing danger (especially in battle)
From this reading There was no getting rid of the facts, or the meaning of them in respect of incapacity, blundering, and reckless waste of personal valour.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was no getting rid of the facts, or the meaning of them in respect of incapacity, blundering, and reckless waste of personal valour.
any materials unused and rejected as worthless or unwanted
From this reading There was no getting rid of the facts, or the meaning of them in respect of incapacity, blundering, and reckless waste of personal valour.
any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading The Black Week had just ended; but the humiliation of it lay, as a dead weight, upon the heart of London.
the vertical force exerted by a mass as a result of gravity
From this reading The Black Week had just ended; but the humiliation of it lay, as a dead weight, upon the heart of London.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading It was a sorry tale, and one over which Europe at large chuckled.
