used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading This was the work of but a few minutes, as the ropes had already been carefully twisted, and had been made of just the thickness to fit the grooves of the wheels.
adjustingverbUS /əˈdʒʌstɪŋ/
-ing form of “adjust” — alter or regulate so as to achieve accuracy or conform to a standard
From this reading The greatest pains was taken in adjusting these knots, particularly the one in the middle; for the duty which this cable was called upon to perform was, indeed, of a most important character.
prior to a specified or implied time
From this reading This was the work of but a few minutes, as the ropes had already been carefully twisted, and had been made of just the thickness to fit the grooves of the wheels.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading This was the work of but a few minutes, as the ropes had already been carefully twisted, and had been made of just the thickness to fit the grooves of the wheels.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading One to its end, and the other to its middle, exactly around the place where it was joined.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading This was the work of but a few minutes, as the ropes had already been carefully twisted, and had been made of just the thickness to fit the grooves of the wheels.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The ropes--or cables, as the boys called them--were now attached at one end to the great pole which was to form the bridge.
being joined in close association
From this reading The ropes--or cables, as the boys called them--were now attached at one end to the great pole which was to form the bridge.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading This was the work of but a few minutes, as the ropes had already been carefully twisted, and had been made of just the thickness to fit the grooves of the wheels.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading The ropes--or cables, as the boys called them--were now attached at one end to the great pole which was to form the bridge.
a structure that allows people or vehicles to cross an obstacle such as a river or canal or railway etc.
From this reading The ropes--or cables, as the boys called them--were now attached at one end to the great pole which was to form the bridge.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading This was the work of but a few minutes, as the ropes had already been carefully twisted, and had been made of just the thickness to fit the grooves of the wheels.
cablenounUS /ˈkeɪbəl/
a telegram sent abroad
From this reading The greatest pains was taken in adjusting these knots, particularly the one in the middle; for the duty which this cable was called upon to perform was, indeed, of a most important character.
cablesnounUS /ˈkeɪbəlz/
plural of “cable” — a telegram sent abroad
From this reading The ropes--or cables, as the boys called them--were now attached at one end to the great pole which was to form the bridge.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading The ropes--or cables, as the boys called them--were now attached at one end to the great pole which was to form the bridge.
taking care or paying attention
From this reading This was the work of but a few minutes, as the ropes had already been carefully twisted, and had been made of just the thickness to fit the grooves of the wheels.
an imaginary person represented in a work of fiction (play or film or story)
From this reading The greatest pains was taken in adjusting these knots, particularly the one in the middle; for the duty which this cable was called upon to perform was, indeed, of a most important character.
the social force that binds you to the courses of action demanded by that force
From this reading The greatest pains was taken in adjusting these knots, particularly the one in the middle; for the duty which this cable was called upon to perform was, indeed, of a most important character.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading The ropes--or cables, as the boys called them--were now attached at one end to the great pole which was to form the bridge.
indicating exactness or preciseness
From this reading One to its end, and the other to its middle, exactly around the place where it was joined.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading This was the work of but a few minutes, as the ropes had already been carefully twisted, and had been made of just the thickness to fit the grooves of the wheels.
be agreeable or acceptable to
From this reading This was the work of but a few minutes, as the ropes had already been carefully twisted, and had been made of just the thickness to fit the grooves of the wheels.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The greatest pains was taken in adjusting these knots, particularly the one in the middle; for the duty which this cable was called upon to perform was, indeed, of a most important character.
the phonological or orthographic sound or appearance of a word that can be used to describe or identify something
From this reading The ropes--or cables, as the boys called them--were now attached at one end to the great pole which was to form the bridge.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading The ropes--or cables, as the boys called them--were now attached at one end to the great pole which was to form the bridge.
highest in quality
From this reading The greatest pains was taken in adjusting these knots, particularly the one in the middle; for the duty which this cable was called upon to perform was, indeed, of a most important character.
groovesnounUS /ɡruːvz/
plural of “groove” — a long narrow furrow cut either by a natural process (such as erosion) or by a tool (as e.g. a groove in a phonograph record)
From this reading This was the work of but a few minutes, as the ropes had already been carefully twisted, and had been made of just the thickness to fit the grooves of the wheels.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading This was the work of but a few minutes, as the ropes had already been carefully twisted, and had been made of just the thickness to fit the grooves of the wheels.
of great significance or value
From this reading The greatest pains was taken in adjusting these knots, particularly the one in the middle; for the duty which this cable was called upon to perform was, indeed, of a most important character.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The greatest pains was taken in adjusting these knots, particularly the one in the middle; for the duty which this cable was called upon to perform was, indeed, of a most important character.
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading The greatest pains was taken in adjusting these knots, particularly the one in the middle; for the duty which this cable was called upon to perform was, indeed, of a most important character.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading One to its end, and the other to its middle, exactly around the place where it was joined.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading One to its end, and the other to its middle, exactly around the place where it was joined.
of or relating to two people who are married to each other
From this reading One to its end, and the other to its middle, exactly around the place where it was joined.
and nothing more
From this reading This was the work of but a few minutes, as the ropes had already been carefully twisted, and had been made of just the thickness to fit the grooves of the wheels.
knotsnounUS /nɑːts/
plural of “knot” — a tight cluster of people or things
From this reading The greatest pains was taken in adjusting these knots, particularly the one in the middle; for the duty which this cable was called upon to perform was, indeed, of a most important character.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading This was the work of but a few minutes, as the ropes had already been carefully twisted, and had been made of just the thickness to fit the grooves of the wheels.
an area that is approximately central within some larger region
From this reading One to its end, and the other to its middle, exactly around the place where it was joined.
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading This was the work of but a few minutes, as the ropes had already been carefully twisted, and had been made of just the thickness to fit the grooves of the wheels.
used to form the superlative
From this reading The greatest pains was taken in adjusting these knots, particularly the one in the middle; for the duty which this cable was called upon to perform was, indeed, of a most important character.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading The next operation was the reeving of the ropes over the wheels of the pulley.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading The ropes--or cables, as the boys called them--were now attached at one end to the great pole which was to form the bridge.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The next operation was the reeving of the ropes over the wheels of the pulley.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The ropes--or cables, as the boys called them--were now attached at one end to the great pole which was to form the bridge.
operationnounUS /ˌɑːpərˈeɪʃən/
the state of being in effect or being operative
From this reading The next operation was the reeving of the ropes over the wheels of the pulley.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading The ropes--or cables, as the boys called them--were now attached at one end to the great pole which was to form the bridge.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading One to its end, and the other to its middle, exactly around the place where it was joined.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading The next operation was the reeving of the ropes over the wheels of the pulley.
an effortful attempt to attain a goal
From this reading The greatest pains was taken in adjusting these knots, particularly the one in the middle; for the duty which this cable was called upon to perform was, indeed, of a most important character.
to a distinctly greater extent or degree than is common
From this reading The greatest pains was taken in adjusting these knots, particularly the one in the middle; for the duty which this cable was called upon to perform was, indeed, of a most important character.
performverbUS /pərˈfɔːrm/
carry out or perform an action
From this reading The greatest pains was taken in adjusting these knots, particularly the one in the middle; for the duty which this cable was called upon to perform was, indeed, of a most important character.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading One to its end, and the other to its middle, exactly around the place where it was joined.
polenounUS /poʊl/
a long (usually round) rod of wood or metal or plastic
From this reading The ropes--or cables, as the boys called them--were now attached at one end to the great pole which was to form the bridge.
pulleynounUS /ˈpʊli/
a simple machine consisting of a wheel with a groove in which a rope can run to change the direction or point of application of a force applied to the rope
From this reading The next operation was the reeving of the ropes over the wheels of the pulley.
reeving
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The next operation was the reeving of the ropes over the wheels of the pulley.
ropesnounUS /roʊps/
plural of “rope” — a strong line
From this reading The next operation was the reeving of the ropes over the wheels of the pulley.
takenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading The greatest pains was taken in adjusting these knots, particularly the one in the middle; for the duty which this cable was called upon to perform was, indeed, of a most important character.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The next operation was the reeving of the ropes over the wheels of the pulley.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading The ropes--or cables, as the boys called them--were now attached at one end to the great pole which was to form the bridge.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading The greatest pains was taken in adjusting these knots, particularly the one in the middle; for the duty which this cable was called upon to perform was, indeed, of a most important character.
thicknessnounUS /ˈθɪknəs/
the dimension through an object as opposed to its length or width
From this reading This was the work of but a few minutes, as the ropes had already been carefully twisted, and had been made of just the thickness to fit the grooves of the wheels.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This was the work of but a few minutes, as the ropes had already been carefully twisted, and had been made of just the thickness to fit the grooves of the wheels.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading This was the work of but a few minutes, as the ropes had already been carefully twisted, and had been made of just the thickness to fit the grooves of the wheels.
twistedadjectiveUS /ˈtwɪstɪd/
having an intended meaning altered or misrepresented
From this reading This was the work of but a few minutes, as the ropes had already been carefully twisted, and had been made of just the thickness to fit the grooves of the wheels.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading The greatest pains was taken in adjusting these knots, particularly the one in the middle; for the duty which this cable was called upon to perform was, indeed, of a most important character.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The next operation was the reeving of the ropes over the wheels of the pulley.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The ropes--or cables, as the boys called them--were now attached at one end to the great pole which was to form the bridge.
wheelsnounUS /wiːlz/
plural of “wheel” — a simple machine consisting of a circular frame with spokes (or a solid disc) that can rotate on a shaft or axle (as in vehicles or other machines)
From this reading The next operation was the reeving of the ropes over the wheels of the pulley.
in or at the place that
From this reading One to its end, and the other to its middle, exactly around the place where it was joined.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The ropes--or cables, as the boys called them--were now attached at one end to the great pole which was to form the bridge.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading This was the work of but a few minutes, as the ropes had already been carefully twisted, and had been made of just the thickness to fit the grooves of the wheels.
