absorbverbUS /əbˈzɔːrb/
become imbued
From this reading The view seemed to absorb his attention.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading He stood looking from the window at the prospect below; at the trees bordering the winding embankment; at the ancient monolith which for unnumbered ages had looked across desert sands to the Nile, and now looked down upon another river of many mysteries.
plural of “age” — how long something has existed
From this reading He stood looking from the window at the prospect below; at the trees bordering the winding embankment; at the ancient monolith which for unnumbered ages had looked across desert sands to the Nile, and now looked down upon another river of many mysteries.
Belonging to the very distant past and no longer in existence or deeply revered.
From this reading He stood looking from the window at the prospect below; at the trees bordering the winding embankment; at the ancient monolith which for unnumbered ages had looked across desert sands to the Nile, and now looked down upon another river of many mysteries.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He stood looking from the window at the prospect below; at the trees bordering the winding embankment; at the ancient monolith which for unnumbered ages had looked across desert sands to the Nile, and now looked down upon another river of many mysteries.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading He stood looking from the window at the prospect below; at the trees bordering the winding embankment; at the ancient monolith which for unnumbered ages had looked across desert sands to the Nile, and now looked down upon another river of many mysteries.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading JOHN KI'S "What is the meaning of Si-Fan?" asked Detective-sergeant Fletcher.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He stood looking from the window at the prospect below; at the trees bordering the winding embankment; at the ancient monolith which for unnumbered ages had looked across desert sands to the Nile, and now looked down upon another river of many mysteries.
the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others
From this reading The view seemed to absorb his attention.
belowprepositionUS /bɪˈloʊ/
at or to a lower level than something
From this reading He stood looking from the window at the prospect below; at the trees bordering the winding embankment; at the ancient monolith which for unnumbered ages had looked across desert sands to the Nile, and now looked down upon another river of many mysteries.
borderingverbUS /ˈbɔːrdərɪŋ/
-ing form of “border” — extend on all sides of simultaneously; encircle
From this reading He stood looking from the window at the prospect below; at the trees bordering the winding embankment; at the ancient monolith which for unnumbered ages had looked across desert sands to the Nile, and now looked down upon another river of many mysteries.
leave someone who needs or counts on you; leave in the lurch
From this reading He stood looking from the window at the prospect below; at the trees bordering the winding embankment; at the ancient monolith which for unnumbered ages had looked across desert sands to the Nile, and now looked down upon another river of many mysteries.
Detective-sergeant
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading JOHN KI'S "What is the meaning of Si-Fan?" asked Detective-sergeant Fletcher.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading He stood looking from the window at the prospect below; at the trees bordering the winding embankment; at the ancient monolith which for unnumbered ages had looked across desert sands to the Nile, and now looked down upon another river of many mysteries.
embankmentnounUS /emˈbæŋkmənt/
a long artificial mound of stone or earth; built to hold back water or to support a road or as protection
From this reading He stood looking from the window at the prospect below; at the trees bordering the winding embankment; at the ancient monolith which for unnumbered ages had looked across desert sands to the Nile, and now looked down upon another river of many mysteries.
FletchernounUS /ˈfletʃər/
prolific English dramatist who collaborated with Francis Beaumont and many other dramatists (1579-1625)
From this reading JOHN KI'S "What is the meaning of Si-Fan?" asked Detective-sergeant Fletcher.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He stood looking from the window at the prospect below; at the trees bordering the winding embankment; at the ancient monolith which for unnumbered ages had looked across desert sands to the Nile, and now looked down upon another river of many mysteries.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading He stood looking from the window at the prospect below; at the trees bordering the winding embankment; at the ancient monolith which for unnumbered ages had looked across desert sands to the Nile, and now looked down upon another river of many mysteries.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He stood looking from the window at the prospect below; at the trees bordering the winding embankment; at the ancient monolith which for unnumbered ages had looked across desert sands to the Nile, and now looked down upon another river of many mysteries.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He stood looking from the window at the prospect below; at the trees bordering the winding embankment; at the ancient monolith which for unnumbered ages had looked across desert sands to the Nile, and now looked down upon another river of many mysteries.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading He spoke without turning his head.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The view seemed to absorb his attention.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading JOHN KI'S "What is the meaning of Si-Fan?" asked Detective-sergeant Fletcher.
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading JOHN KI'S "What is the meaning of Si-Fan?" asked Detective-sergeant Fletcher.
KI'S
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading JOHN KI'S "What is the meaning of Si-Fan?" asked Detective-sergeant Fletcher.
past form of “laugh” — produce laughter
From this reading Nayland Smith laughed shortly.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading He stood looking from the window at the prospect below; at the trees bordering the winding embankment; at the ancient monolith which for unnumbered ages had looked across desert sands to the Nile, and now looked down upon another river of many mysteries.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading He stood looking from the window at the prospect below; at the trees bordering the winding embankment; at the ancient monolith which for unnumbered ages had looked across desert sands to the Nile, and now looked down upon another river of many mysteries.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading He stood looking from the window at the prospect below; at the trees bordering the winding embankment; at the ancient monolith which for unnumbered ages had looked across desert sands to the Nile, and now looked down upon another river of many mysteries.
the message that is intended or expressed or signified
From this reading JOHN KI'S "What is the meaning of Si-Fan?" asked Detective-sergeant Fletcher.
monolithnounUS /ˈmɑːnəlɪθ/
a single great stone (often in the form of a column or obelisk)
From this reading He stood looking from the window at the prospect below; at the trees bordering the winding embankment; at the ancient monolith which for unnumbered ages had looked across desert sands to the Nile, and now looked down upon another river of many mysteries.
mysteriesnounUS /ˈmɪstəriz/
plural of “mystery” — something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained
From this reading He stood looking from the window at the prospect below; at the trees bordering the winding embankment; at the ancient monolith which for unnumbered ages had looked across desert sands to the Nile, and now looked down upon another river of many mysteries.
Nayland
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Nayland Smith laughed shortly.
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 He stood looking from the window at the prospect below; at the trees bordering the winding embankment; at the ancient monolith which for unnumbered ages had looked across desert sands to the Nile, and now looked down upon another river of many mysteries.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading He stood looking from the window at the prospect below; at the trees bordering the winding embankment; at the ancient monolith which for unnumbered ages had looked across desert sands to the Nile, and now looked down upon another river of many mysteries.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading JOHN KI'S "What is the meaning of Si-Fan?" asked Detective-sergeant Fletcher.
the possibility of future success
From this reading He stood looking from the window at the prospect below; at the trees bordering the winding embankment; at the ancient monolith which for unnumbered ages had looked across desert sands to the Nile, and now looked down upon another river of many mysteries.
a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)
From this reading He stood looking from the window at the prospect below; at the trees bordering the winding embankment; at the ancient monolith which for unnumbered ages had looked across desert sands to the Nile, and now looked down upon another river of many mysteries.
sandsnounUS /sændz/
the region of the shore of a lake or sea or ocean
From this reading He stood looking from the window at the prospect below; at the trees bordering the winding embankment; at the ancient monolith which for unnumbered ages had looked across desert sands to the Nile, and now looked down upon another river of many mysteries.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading The view seemed to absorb his attention.
for a short time
From this reading Nayland Smith laughed shortly.
Si-Fan
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading JOHN KI'S "What is the meaning of Si-Fan?" asked Detective-sergeant Fletcher.
Rhodesian statesman who declared independence of Zimbabwe from Great Britain (born in 1919)
From this reading Nayland Smith laughed shortly.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading He spoke without turning his head.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading He stood looking from the window at the prospect below; at the trees bordering the winding embankment; at the ancient monolith which for unnumbered ages had looked across desert sands to the Nile, and now looked down upon another river of many mysteries.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading JOHN KI'S "What is the meaning of Si-Fan?" asked Detective-sergeant Fletcher.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He stood looking from the window at the prospect below; at the trees bordering the winding embankment; at the ancient monolith which for unnumbered ages had looked across desert sands to the Nile, and now looked down upon another river of many mysteries.
plural of “tree” — a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading He stood looking from the window at the prospect below; at the trees bordering the winding embankment; at the ancient monolith which for unnumbered ages had looked across desert sands to the Nile, and now looked down upon another river of many mysteries.
the act of changing or reversing the direction of the course
From this reading He spoke without turning his head.
unnumberedadjective
too numerous to be counted
From this reading He stood looking from the window at the prospect below; at the trees bordering the winding embankment; at the ancient monolith which for unnumbered ages had looked across desert sands to the Nile, and now looked down upon another river of many mysteries.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading He stood looking from the window at the prospect below; at the trees bordering the winding embankment; at the ancient monolith which for unnumbered ages had looked across desert sands to the Nile, and now looked down upon another river of many mysteries.
a way of regarding situations or topics etc.
From this reading The view seemed to absorb his attention.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading JOHN KI'S "What is the meaning of Si-Fan?" asked Detective-sergeant Fletcher.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading He stood looking from the window at the prospect below; at the trees bordering the winding embankment; at the ancient monolith which for unnumbered ages had looked across desert sands to the Nile, and now looked down upon another river of many mysteries.
windingadjectiveUS /ˈwaɪndɪŋ/
marked by repeated turns and bends
From this reading He stood looking from the window at the prospect below; at the trees bordering the winding embankment; at the ancient monolith which for unnumbered ages had looked across desert sands to the Nile, and now looked down upon another river of many mysteries.
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading He stood looking from the window at the prospect below; at the trees bordering the winding embankment; at the ancient monolith which for unnumbered ages had looked across desert sands to the Nile, and now looked down upon another river of many mysteries.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading He spoke without turning his head.
