used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading To within a few years of the middle of the nineteenth century, Babylon and Assyria were only names.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading People read about them in the Bible, but no visible trace remained.
Belonging to the very distant past and no longer in existence or deeply revered.
From this reading Some thinkers, who knew how stories become distorted by the passage of time, questioned if such places ever existed, whether they were not just myths, the figments of the imaginations of some ancient scribes.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading To within a few years of the middle of the nineteenth century, Babylon and Assyria were only names.
AssyrianounUS /əˈsɪriə/
an ancient kingdom in northern Mesopotamia which is in present-day Iraq
From this reading To within a few years of the middle of the nineteenth century, Babylon and Assyria were only names.
BabylonnounUS /ˈbæbəlɑːn/
the chief city of ancient Mesopotamia and capital of the ancient kingdom of Babylonia
From this reading To within a few years of the middle of the nineteenth century, Babylon and Assyria were only names.
enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading Some thinkers, who knew how stories become distorted by the passage of time, questioned if such places ever existed, whether they were not just myths, the figments of the imaginations of some ancient scribes.
the sacred writings of the Christian religions
From this reading People read about them in the Bible, but no visible trace remained.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading People read about them in the Bible, but no visible trace remained.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Some thinkers, who knew how stories become distorted by the passage of time, questioned if such places ever existed, whether they were not just myths, the figments of the imaginations of some ancient scribes.
a period of 100 years
From this reading To within a few years of the middle of the nineteenth century, Babylon and Assyria were only names.
desertsnounUS /ˈdezərts/
plural of “desert” — arid land with little or no vegetation
From this reading The rivers Tigris and Euphrates flowed through deserts.
distortedadjectiveUS /dɪˈstɔːrtəd/
so badly formed or out of shape as to be ugly
From this reading Some thinkers, who knew how stories become distorted by the passage of time, questioned if such places ever existed, whether they were not just myths, the figments of the imaginations of some ancient scribes.
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading They had vanished utterly from the face of the earth.
EuphratesnounUS /juːˈfreɪtiz/
a river in southwestern Asia; flows into the Persian Gulf; was important in the development of several great civilizations in ancient Mesopotamia
From this reading The rivers Tigris and Euphrates flowed through deserts.
at any time
From this reading Some thinkers, who knew how stories become distorted by the passage of time, questioned if such places ever existed, whether they were not just myths, the figments of the imaginations of some ancient scribes.
existedverbUS /ɪɡˈzɪstəd/
past form of “exist” — have an existence, be extant
From this reading Some thinkers, who knew how stories become distorted by the passage of time, questioned if such places ever existed, whether they were not just myths, the figments of the imaginations of some ancient scribes.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading They had vanished utterly from the face of the earth.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading To within a few years of the middle of the nineteenth century, Babylon and Assyria were only names.
figmentsnounUS /ˈfɪɡmɪnts/
plural of “figment” — a contrived or fantastic idea
From this reading Some thinkers, who knew how stories become distorted by the passage of time, questioned if such places ever existed, whether they were not just myths, the figments of the imaginations of some ancient scribes.
flowedverbUS /floʊd/
past form of “flow” — move or progress freely as if in a stream
From this reading The rivers Tigris and Euphrates flowed through deserts.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading They had vanished utterly from the face of the earth.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading They had vanished utterly from the face of the earth.
how
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Some thinkers, who knew how stories become distorted by the passage of time, questioned if such places ever existed, whether they were not just myths, the figments of the imaginations of some ancient scribes.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Some thinkers, who knew how stories become distorted by the passage of time, questioned if such places ever existed, whether they were not just myths, the figments of the imaginations of some ancient scribes.
imaginationsnounUS /ˌɪmædʒəˈneɪʃənz/
plural of “imagination” — the formation of a mental image of something that is not perceived as real and is not present to the senses
From this reading Some thinkers, who knew how stories become distorted by the passage of time, questioned if such places ever existed, whether they were not just myths, the figments of the imaginations of some ancient scribes.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading People read about them in the Bible, but no visible trace remained.
and nothing more
From this reading Some thinkers, who knew how stories become distorted by the passage of time, questioned if such places ever existed, whether they were not just myths, the figments of the imaginations of some ancient scribes.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading Some thinkers, who knew how stories become distorted by the passage of time, questioned if such places ever existed, whether they were not just myths, the figments of the imaginations of some ancient scribes.
an area that is approximately central within some larger region
From this reading To within a few years of the middle of the nineteenth century, Babylon and Assyria were only names.
mythsnounUS /mɪθs/
plural of “myth” — a traditional story accepted as history; serves to explain the world view of a people
From this reading Some thinkers, who knew how stories become distorted by the passage of time, questioned if such places ever existed, whether they were not just myths, the figments of the imaginations of some ancient scribes.
verbal abuse; a crude substitute for argument
From this reading To within a few years of the middle of the nineteenth century, Babylon and Assyria were only names.
nineteenthadjectiveUS /ˈnaɪnˈtiːnθ/
coming next after the eighteenth in position
From this reading To within a few years of the middle of the nineteenth century, Babylon and Assyria were only names.
not any; not one
From this reading People read about them in the Bible, but no visible trace remained.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Some thinkers, who knew how stories become distorted by the passage of time, questioned if such places ever existed, whether they were not just myths, the figments of the imaginations of some ancient scribes.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading To within a few years of the middle of the nineteenth century, Babylon and Assyria were only names.
and nothing more
From this reading To within a few years of the middle of the nineteenth century, Babylon and Assyria were only names.
the act of passing from one state or place to the next
From this reading Some thinkers, who knew how stories become distorted by the passage of time, questioned if such places ever existed, whether they were not just myths, the figments of the imaginations of some ancient scribes.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading People read about them in the Bible, but no visible trace remained.
plural of “place” — a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading Some thinkers, who knew how stories become distorted by the passage of time, questioned if such places ever existed, whether they were not just myths, the figments of the imaginations of some ancient scribes.
past form of “question” — challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading Some thinkers, who knew how stories become distorted by the passage of time, questioned if such places ever existed, whether they were not just myths, the figments of the imaginations of some ancient scribes.
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading People read about them in the Bible, but no visible trace remained.
past form of “remain” — stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading People read about them in the Bible, but no visible trace remained.
riversnounUS /ˈrɪvərz/
plural of “river” — a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)
From this reading The rivers Tigris and Euphrates flowed through deserts.
scribesnounUS /skraɪbz/
plural of “scribe” — French playwright (1791-1861)
From this reading Some thinkers, who knew how stories become distorted by the passage of time, questioned if such places ever existed, whether they were not just myths, the figments of the imaginations of some ancient scribes.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Some thinkers, who knew how stories become distorted by the passage of time, questioned if such places ever existed, whether they were not just myths, the figments of the imaginations of some ancient scribes.
plural of “story” — 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 Some thinkers, who knew how stories become distorted by the passage of time, questioned if such places ever existed, whether they were not just myths, the figments of the imaginations of some ancient scribes.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading Some thinkers, who knew how stories become distorted by the passage of time, questioned if such places ever existed, whether they were not just myths, the figments of the imaginations of some ancient scribes.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading To within a few years of the middle of the nineteenth century, Babylon and Assyria were only names.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading People read about them in the Bible, but no visible trace remained.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They had vanished utterly from the face of the earth.
thinkersnounUS /ˈθɪŋkərz/
plural of “thinker” — an important intellectual
From this reading Some thinkers, who knew how stories become distorted by the passage of time, questioned if such places ever existed, whether they were not just myths, the figments of the imaginations of some ancient scribes.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading The rivers Tigris and Euphrates flowed through deserts.
TigrisnounUS /ˈtaɪɡrəs/
an Asian river; a tributary of the Euphrates River
From this reading The rivers Tigris and Euphrates flowed through deserts.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Some thinkers, who knew how stories become distorted by the passage of time, questioned if such places ever existed, whether they were not just myths, the figments of the imaginations of some ancient scribes.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading To within a few years of the middle of the nineteenth century, Babylon and Assyria were only names.
a just detectable amount
From this reading People read about them in the Bible, but no visible trace remained.
completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers
From this reading They had vanished utterly from the face of the earth.
having passed out of existence
From this reading They had vanished utterly from the face of the earth.
capable of being seen; or open to easy view
From this reading People read about them in the Bible, but no visible trace remained.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading To within a few years of the middle of the nineteenth century, Babylon and Assyria were only names.
used to introduce two or more possibilities
From this reading Some thinkers, who knew how stories become distorted by the passage of time, questioned if such places ever existed, whether they were not just myths, the figments of the imaginations of some ancient scribes.
which person or people
From this reading Some thinkers, who knew how stories become distorted by the passage of time, questioned if such places ever existed, whether they were not just myths, the figments of the imaginations of some ancient scribes.
inside; before a period of time has passed
From this reading To within a few years of the middle of the nineteenth century, Babylon and Assyria were only names.
a late time of life
From this reading To within a few years of the middle of the nineteenth century, Babylon and Assyria were only names.
