Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
adeterminerUS /ə/
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading And Lynceus the quick-eyed saw him coming, while he was still many a mile away, and cried, ‘I see a hundred ships, like a flock of white swans, far in the east.’
Absyrtus
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then Medeia, the dark witch-maiden, laid a cruel and a cunning plot; for she killed Absyrtus her young brother, and cast him into the sea, and said, ‘Ere my father can take up his corpse and bury it, he must wait long, and be left far behind.’
Aietes
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From this reading So they fled away in haste to the westward; but Aietes manned his fleet and followed them.
all
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From this reading And all the heroes shuddered, and looked one at the other for shame; yet they did not punish that dark witch-woman, because she had won for them the golden fleece.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading So they fled away in haste to the westward; but Aietes manned his fleet and followed them.
atprepositionUS /æt/
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading And at that they rowed hard, like heroes; but the ships came nearer every hour.
away
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From this reading So they fled away in haste to the westward; but Aietes manned his fleet and followed them.
beauxiliary verbUS /biː/
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Then Medeia, the dark witch-maiden, laid a cruel and a cunning plot; for she killed Absyrtus her young brother, and cast him into the sea, and said, ‘Ere my father can take up his corpse and bury it, he must wait long, and be left far behind.’
becauseconjunctionUS /bɪˈkɔːz/
for the reason that
From this reading And all the heroes shuddered, and looked one at the other for shame; yet they did not punish that dark witch-woman, because she had won for them the golden fleece.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading Then Medeia, the dark witch-maiden, laid a cruel and a cunning plot; for she killed Absyrtus her young brother, and cast him into the sea, and said, ‘Ere my father can take up his corpse and bury it, he must wait long, and be left far behind.’
brother
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then Medeia, the dark witch-maiden, laid a cruel and a cunning plot; for she killed Absyrtus her young brother, and cast him into the sea, and said, ‘Ere my father can take up his corpse and bury it, he must wait long, and be left far behind.’
bury
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then Medeia, the dark witch-maiden, laid a cruel and a cunning plot; for she killed Absyrtus her young brother, and cast him into the sea, and said, ‘Ere my father can take up his corpse and bury it, he must wait long, and be left far behind.’
butconjunctionUS /bʌt/
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading So they fled away in haste to the westward; but Aietes manned his fleet and followed them.
came
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And at that they rowed hard, like heroes; but the ships came nearer every hour.
canmodal verbUS /kæn/
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading Then Medeia, the dark witch-maiden, laid a cruel and a cunning plot; for she killed Absyrtus her young brother, and cast him into the sea, and said, ‘Ere my father can take up his corpse and bury it, he must wait long, and be left far behind.’
cast
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then Medeia, the dark witch-maiden, laid a cruel and a cunning plot; for she killed Absyrtus her young brother, and cast him into the sea, and said, ‘Ere my father can take up his corpse and bury it, he must wait long, and be left far behind.’
coming
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And Lynceus the quick-eyed saw him coming, while he was still many a mile away, and cried, ‘I see a hundred ships, like a flock of white swans, far in the east.’
corpse
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then Medeia, the dark witch-maiden, laid a cruel and a cunning plot; for she killed Absyrtus her young brother, and cast him into the sea, and said, ‘Ere my father can take up his corpse and bury it, he must wait long, and be left far behind.’
criednounUS /cried/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading And Lynceus the quick-eyed saw him coming, while he was still many a mile away, and cried, ‘I see a hundred ships, like a flock of white swans, far in the east.’
crueladjectiveUS /ˈkruːəl/
causing pain or showing no kindness
From this reading Then Medeia, the dark witch-maiden, laid a cruel and a cunning plot; for she killed Absyrtus her young brother, and cast him into the sea, and said, ‘Ere my father can take up his corpse and bury it, he must wait long, and be left far behind.’
cunning
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then Medeia, the dark witch-maiden, laid a cruel and a cunning plot; for she killed Absyrtus her young brother, and cast him into the sea, and said, ‘Ere my father can take up his corpse and bury it, he must wait long, and be left far behind.’
dark
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then Medeia, the dark witch-maiden, laid a cruel and a cunning plot; for she killed Absyrtus her young brother, and cast him into the sea, and said, ‘Ere my father can take up his corpse and bury it, he must wait long, and be left far behind.’
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading And all the heroes shuddered, and looked one at the other for shame; yet they did not punish that dark witch-woman, because she had won for them the golden fleece.
east
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And Lynceus the quick-eyed saw him coming, while he was still many a mile away, and cried, ‘I see a hundred ships, like a flock of white swans, far in the east.’
EreconjunctionUS /er/
an old word for “before”
From this reading Then Medeia, the dark witch-maiden, laid a cruel and a cunning plot; for she killed Absyrtus her young brother, and cast him into the sea, and said, ‘Ere my father can take up his corpse and bury it, he must wait long, and be left far behind.’
everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading And at that they rowed hard, like heroes; but the ships came nearer every hour.
far
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And Lynceus the quick-eyed saw him coming, while he was still many a mile away, and cried, ‘I see a hundred ships, like a flock of white swans, far in the east.’
father
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then Medeia, the dark witch-maiden, laid a cruel and a cunning plot; for she killed Absyrtus her young brother, and cast him into the sea, and said, ‘Ere my father can take up his corpse and bury it, he must wait long, and be left far behind.’
fled
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading So they fled away in haste to the westward; but Aietes manned his fleet and followed them.
fleece
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And all the heroes shuddered, and looked one at the other for shame; yet they did not punish that dark witch-woman, because she had won for them the golden fleece.
fleet
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading So they fled away in haste to the westward; but Aietes manned his fleet and followed them.
flock
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And Lynceus the quick-eyed saw him coming, while he was still many a mile away, and cried, ‘I see a hundred ships, like a flock of white swans, far in the east.’
followed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading So they fled away in haste to the westward; but Aietes manned his fleet and followed them.
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Then Medeia, the dark witch-maiden, laid a cruel and a cunning plot; for she killed Absyrtus her young brother, and cast him into the sea, and said, ‘Ere my father can take up his corpse and bury it, he must wait long, and be left far behind.’
golden
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And all the heroes shuddered, and looked one at the other for shame; yet they did not punish that dark witch-woman, because she had won for them the golden fleece.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading And all the heroes shuddered, and looked one at the other for shame; yet they did not punish that dark witch-woman, because she had won for them the golden fleece.
hard
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And at that they rowed hard, like heroes; but the ships came nearer every hour.
haste
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading So they fled away in haste to the westward; but Aietes manned his fleet and followed them.
hepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading And Lynceus the quick-eyed saw him coming, while he was still many a mile away, and cried, ‘I see a hundred ships, like a flock of white swans, far in the east.’
herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Then Medeia, the dark witch-maiden, laid a cruel and a cunning plot; for she killed Absyrtus her young brother, and cast him into the sea, and said, ‘Ere my father can take up his corpse and bury it, he must wait long, and be left far behind.’
heroes
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And at that they rowed hard, like heroes; but the ships came nearer every hour.
himpronounUS /hɪm/
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading And Lynceus the quick-eyed saw him coming, while he was still many a mile away, and cried, ‘I see a hundred ships, like a flock of white swans, far in the east.’
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading So they fled away in haste to the westward; but Aietes manned his fleet and followed them.
hour
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And at that they rowed hard, like heroes; but the ships came nearer every hour.
hundred
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And Lynceus the quick-eyed saw him coming, while he was still many a mile away, and cried, ‘I see a hundred ships, like a flock of white swans, far in the east.’
IpronounUS /aɪ/
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading And Lynceus the quick-eyed saw him coming, while he was still many a mile away, and cried, ‘I see a hundred ships, like a flock of white swans, far in the east.’
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading So they fled away in haste to the westward; but Aietes manned his fleet and followed them.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Then Medeia, the dark witch-maiden, laid a cruel and a cunning plot; for she killed Absyrtus her young brother, and cast him into the sea, and said, ‘Ere my father can take up his corpse and bury it, he must wait long, and be left far behind.’
itpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Then Medeia, the dark witch-maiden, laid a cruel and a cunning plot; for she killed Absyrtus her young brother, and cast him into the sea, and said, ‘Ere my father can take up his corpse and bury it, he must wait long, and be left far behind.’
killed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then Medeia, the dark witch-maiden, laid a cruel and a cunning plot; for she killed Absyrtus her young brother, and cast him into the sea, and said, ‘Ere my father can take up his corpse and bury it, he must wait long, and be left far behind.’
laid
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then Medeia, the dark witch-maiden, laid a cruel and a cunning plot; for she killed Absyrtus her young brother, and cast him into the sea, and said, ‘Ere my father can take up his corpse and bury it, he must wait long, and be left far behind.’
leftnounUS /left/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Then Medeia, the dark witch-maiden, laid a cruel and a cunning plot; for she killed Absyrtus her young brother, and cast him into the sea, and said, ‘Ere my father can take up his corpse and bury it, he must wait long, and be left far behind.’
like
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And Lynceus the quick-eyed saw him coming, while he was still many a mile away, and cried, ‘I see a hundred ships, like a flock of white swans, far in the east.’
longnounUS /long/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Then Medeia, the dark witch-maiden, laid a cruel and a cunning plot; for she killed Absyrtus her young brother, and cast him into the sea, and said, ‘Ere my father can take up his corpse and bury it, he must wait long, and be left far behind.’
lookednounUS /looked/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading And all the heroes shuddered, and looked one at the other for shame; yet they did not punish that dark witch-woman, because she had won for them the golden fleece.
Lynceus
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And Lynceus the quick-eyed saw him coming, while he was still many a mile away, and cried, ‘I see a hundred ships, like a flock of white swans, far in the east.’
manned
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading So they fled away in haste to the westward; but Aietes manned his fleet and followed them.
many
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And Lynceus the quick-eyed saw him coming, while he was still many a mile away, and cried, ‘I see a hundred ships, like a flock of white swans, far in the east.’
Medeia
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then Medeia, the dark witch-maiden, laid a cruel and a cunning plot; for she killed Absyrtus her young brother, and cast him into the sea, and said, ‘Ere my father can take up his corpse and bury it, he must wait long, and be left far behind.’
mile
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And Lynceus the quick-eyed saw him coming, while he was still many a mile away, and cried, ‘I see a hundred ships, like a flock of white swans, far in the east.’
mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading Then Medeia, the dark witch-maiden, laid a cruel and a cunning plot; for she killed Absyrtus her young brother, and cast him into the sea, and said, ‘Ere my father can take up his corpse and bury it, he must wait long, and be left far behind.’
mydeterminerUS /maɪ/
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Then Medeia, the dark witch-maiden, laid a cruel and a cunning plot; for she killed Absyrtus her young brother, and cast him into the sea, and said, ‘Ere my father can take up his corpse and bury it, he must wait long, and be left far behind.’
nearer
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And at that they rowed hard, like heroes; but the ships came nearer every hour.
notadverbUS /nɑːt/
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading And all the heroes shuddered, and looked one at the other for shame; yet they did not punish that dark witch-woman, because she had won for them the golden fleece.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading And Lynceus the quick-eyed saw him coming, while he was still many a mile away, and cried, ‘I see a hundred ships, like a flock of white swans, far in the east.’
onepronounUS /wʌn/
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading And all the heroes shuddered, and looked one at the other for shame; yet they did not punish that dark witch-woman, because she had won for them the golden fleece.
other
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And all the heroes shuddered, and looked one at the other for shame; yet they did not punish that dark witch-woman, because she had won for them the golden fleece.
plot
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then Medeia, the dark witch-maiden, laid a cruel and a cunning plot; for she killed Absyrtus her young brother, and cast him into the sea, and said, ‘Ere my father can take up his corpse and bury it, he must wait long, and be left far behind.’
punish
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And all the heroes shuddered, and looked one at the other for shame; yet they did not punish that dark witch-woman, because she had won for them the golden fleece.
quick-eyed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And Lynceus the quick-eyed saw him coming, while he was still many a mile away, and cried, ‘I see a hundred ships, like a flock of white swans, far in the east.’
rowed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And at that they rowed hard, like heroes; but the ships came nearer every hour.
said
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then Medeia, the dark witch-maiden, laid a cruel and a cunning plot; for she killed Absyrtus her young brother, and cast him into the sea, and said, ‘Ere my father can take up his corpse and bury it, he must wait long, and be left far behind.’
saw
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And Lynceus the quick-eyed saw him coming, while he was still many a mile away, and cried, ‘I see a hundred ships, like a flock of white swans, far in the east.’
sea
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then Medeia, the dark witch-maiden, laid a cruel and a cunning plot; for she killed Absyrtus her young brother, and cast him into the sea, and said, ‘Ere my father can take up his corpse and bury it, he must wait long, and be left far behind.’
see
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And Lynceus the quick-eyed saw him coming, while he was still many a mile away, and cried, ‘I see a hundred ships, like a flock of white swans, far in the east.’
shame
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And all the heroes shuddered, and looked one at the other for shame; yet they did not punish that dark witch-woman, because she had won for them the golden fleece.
shepronounUS /ʃiː/
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Then Medeia, the dark witch-maiden, laid a cruel and a cunning plot; for she killed Absyrtus her young brother, and cast him into the sea, and said, ‘Ere my father can take up his corpse and bury it, he must wait long, and be left far behind.’
ships
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And Lynceus the quick-eyed saw him coming, while he was still many a mile away, and cried, ‘I see a hundred ships, like a flock of white swans, far in the east.’
shuddered
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And all the heroes shuddered, and looked one at the other for shame; yet they did not punish that dark witch-woman, because she had won for them the golden fleece.
SoconjunctionUS /soʊ/
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So they fled away in haste to the westward; but Aietes manned his fleet and followed them.
stillnounUS /still/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading And Lynceus the quick-eyed saw him coming, while he was still many a mile away, and cried, ‘I see a hundred ships, like a flock of white swans, far in the east.’
swans
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And Lynceus the quick-eyed saw him coming, while he was still many a mile away, and cried, ‘I see a hundred ships, like a flock of white swans, far in the east.’
takenounUS /take/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Then Medeia, the dark witch-maiden, laid a cruel and a cunning plot; for she killed Absyrtus her young brother, and cast him into the sea, and said, ‘Ere my father can take up his corpse and bury it, he must wait long, and be left far behind.’
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading And at that they rowed hard, like heroes; but the ships came nearer every hour.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading So they fled away in haste to the westward; but Aietes manned his fleet and followed them.
thempronounUS /ðem/
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading So they fled away in haste to the westward; but Aietes manned his fleet and followed them.
Then
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then Medeia, the dark witch-maiden, laid a cruel and a cunning plot; for she killed Absyrtus her young brother, and cast him into the sea, and said, ‘Ere my father can take up his corpse and bury it, he must wait long, and be left far behind.’
theypronounUS /ðeɪ/
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading So they fled away in haste to the westward; but Aietes manned his fleet and followed them.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading So they fled away in haste to the westward; but Aietes manned his fleet and followed them.
up
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then Medeia, the dark witch-maiden, laid a cruel and a cunning plot; for she killed Absyrtus her young brother, and cast him into the sea, and said, ‘Ere my father can take up his corpse and bury it, he must wait long, and be left far behind.’
wait
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then Medeia, the dark witch-maiden, laid a cruel and a cunning plot; for she killed Absyrtus her young brother, and cast him into the sea, and said, ‘Ere my father can take up his corpse and bury it, he must wait long, and be left far behind.’
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading And Lynceus the quick-eyed saw him coming, while he was still many a mile away, and cried, ‘I see a hundred ships, like a flock of white swans, far in the east.’
westwardadverbUS /ˈwɛstwərd/
toward the west
From this reading So they fled away in haste to the westward; but Aietes manned his fleet and followed them.
whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/
during the time that
From this reading And Lynceus the quick-eyed saw him coming, while he was still many a mile away, and cried, ‘I see a hundred ships, like a flock of white swans, far in the east.’
white
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And Lynceus the quick-eyed saw him coming, while he was still many a mile away, and cried, ‘I see a hundred ships, like a flock of white swans, far in the east.’
witch-maiden
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then Medeia, the dark witch-maiden, laid a cruel and a cunning plot; for she killed Absyrtus her young brother, and cast him into the sea, and said, ‘Ere my father can take up his corpse and bury it, he must wait long, and be left far behind.’
witch-woman
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And all the heroes shuddered, and looked one at the other for shame; yet they did not punish that dark witch-woman, because she had won for them the golden fleece.
won
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And all the heroes shuddered, and looked one at the other for shame; yet they did not punish that dark witch-woman, because she had won for them the golden fleece.
yetconjunctionUS /jet/
but in spite of that
From this reading And all the heroes shuddered, and looked one at the other for shame; yet they did not punish that dark witch-woman, because she had won for them the golden fleece.
young
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then Medeia, the dark witch-maiden, laid a cruel and a cunning plot; for she killed Absyrtus her young brother, and cast him into the sea, and said, ‘Ere my father can take up his corpse and bury it, he must wait long, and be left far behind.’
