used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Some cavities had been prisons, others granaries, and one vastly greater than all others had been a cistern for storing rain water.
air-vents
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That there were cavities, cisterns, secret passages, and air-vents running here and there through that massive pile of stone, he knew well enough.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading Not once in all his young life had Johnny Thompson felt so near his end as when he felt himself shooting downward into the unknown heart of the ancient Citadel.
Belonging to the very distant past and no longer in existence or deeply revered.
From this reading Not once in all his young life had Johnny Thompson felt so near his end as when he felt himself shooting downward into the unknown heart of the ancient Citadel.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading That there were cavities, cisterns, secret passages, and air-vents running here and there through that massive pile of stone, he knew well enough.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Not once in all his young life had Johnny Thompson felt so near his end as when he felt himself shooting downward into the unknown heart of the ancient Citadel.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Some cavities had been prisons, others granaries, and one vastly greater than all others had been a cistern for storing rain water.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But this one?"
cavitiesnounUS /ˈkævɪtiz/
plural of “cavity” — a sizeable hole (usually in the ground)
From this reading That there were cavities, cisterns, secret passages, and air-vents running here and there through that massive pile of stone, he knew well enough.
cisternnounUS /ˈsɪstərn/
a sac or cavity containing fluid especially lymph or cerebrospinal fluid
From this reading Some cavities had been prisons, others granaries, and one vastly greater than all others had been a cistern for storing rain water.
cisternsnounUS /ˈsɪstərnz/
plural of “cistern” — a sac or cavity containing fluid especially lymph or cerebrospinal fluid
From this reading That there were cavities, cisterns, secret passages, and air-vents running here and there through that massive pile of stone, he knew well enough.
CitadelnounUS /ˈsɪt.ə.del/
A fortress protecting a city, metaphorically representing the invincible inner sanctuary of the rational mind.
From this reading Not once in all his young life had Johnny Thompson felt so near his end as when he felt himself shooting downward into the unknown heart of the ancient Citadel.
Curlie
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Some of them he and Curlie, ever hopeful of finding the hidden treasure, had explored.
downwardadjectiveUS /ˈdaʊnwərd/
extending or moving from a higher to a lower place
From this reading Not once in all his young life had Johnny Thompson felt so near his end as when he felt himself shooting downward into the unknown heart of the ancient Citadel.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading Not once in all his young life had Johnny Thompson felt so near his end as when he felt himself shooting downward into the unknown heart of the ancient Citadel.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading That there were cavities, cisterns, secret passages, and air-vents running here and there through that massive pile of stone, he knew well enough.
at any time
From this reading Some of them he and Curlie, ever hopeful of finding the hidden treasure, had explored.
exploredverbUS /ɪkˈsplɔːrd/
past form of “explore” — inquire into
From this reading Some of them he and Curlie, ever hopeful of finding the hidden treasure, had explored.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading Not once in all his young life had Johnny Thompson felt so near his end as when he felt himself shooting downward into the unknown heart of the ancient Citadel.
the act of determining the properties of something, usually by research or calculation
From this reading Some of them he and Curlie, ever hopeful of finding the hidden treasure, had explored.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Some cavities had been prisons, others granaries, and one vastly greater than all others had been a cistern for storing rain water.
granaries
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Some cavities had been prisons, others granaries, and one vastly greater than all others had been a cistern for storing rain water.
greater in size or importance or degree
From this reading Some cavities had been prisons, others granaries, and one vastly greater than all others had been a cistern for storing rain water.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Not once in all his young life had Johnny Thompson felt so near his end as when he felt himself shooting downward into the unknown heart of the ancient Citadel.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Not once in all his young life had Johnny Thompson felt so near his end as when he felt himself shooting downward into the unknown heart of the ancient Citadel.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading Not once in all his young life had Johnny Thompson felt so near his end as when he felt himself shooting downward into the unknown heart of the ancient Citadel.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading That there were cavities, cisterns, secret passages, and air-vents running here and there through that massive pile of stone, he knew well enough.
not accessible to view
From this reading Some of them he and Curlie, ever hopeful of finding the hidden treasure, had explored.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Not once in all his young life had Johnny Thompson felt so near his end as when he felt himself shooting downward into the unknown heart of the ancient Citadel.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Not once in all his young life had Johnny Thompson felt so near his end as when he felt himself shooting downward into the unknown heart of the ancient Citadel.
hopefuladjectiveUS /ˈhoʊpfəl/
having or manifesting hope
From this reading Some of them he and Curlie, ever hopeful of finding the hidden treasure, had explored.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Not once in all his young life had Johnny Thompson felt so near his end as when he felt himself shooting downward into the unknown heart of the ancient Citadel.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Not once in all his young life had Johnny Thompson felt so near his end as when he felt himself shooting downward into the unknown heart of the ancient Citadel.
“Johnny” was applied as a nickname for Confederate soldiers by the Federal soldiers in the American Civil War; “greyback” derived from their grey Confederate uniforms
From this reading Not once in all his young life had Johnny Thompson felt so near his end as when he felt himself shooting downward into the unknown heart of the ancient Citadel.
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 That there were cavities, cisterns, secret passages, and air-vents running here and there through that massive pile of stone, he knew well enough.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading Not once in all his young life had Johnny Thompson felt so near his end as when he felt himself shooting downward into the unknown heart of the ancient Citadel.
massiveadjectiveUS /ˈmæsɪv/
imposing in size or bulk or solidity
From this reading That there were cavities, cisterns, secret passages, and air-vents running here and there through that massive pile of stone, he knew well enough.
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading Not once in all his young life had Johnny Thompson felt so near his end as when he felt himself shooting downward into the unknown heart of the ancient Citadel.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Not once in all his young life had Johnny Thompson felt so near his end as when he felt himself shooting downward into the unknown heart of the ancient Citadel.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Not once in all his young life had Johnny Thompson felt so near his end as when he felt himself shooting downward into the unknown heart of the ancient Citadel.
on one occasion
From this reading Not once in all his young life had Johnny Thompson felt so near his end as when he felt himself shooting downward into the unknown heart of the ancient Citadel.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Some cavities had been prisons, others granaries, and one vastly greater than all others had been a cistern for storing rain water.
others
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Some cavities had been prisons, others granaries, and one vastly greater than all others had been a cistern for storing rain water.
passagesnounUS /ˈpæsədʒəz/
plural of “passage” — the act of passing from one state or place to the next
From this reading That there were cavities, cisterns, secret passages, and air-vents running here and there through that massive pile of stone, he knew well enough.
a collection of objects laid on top of each other
From this reading That there were cavities, cisterns, secret passages, and air-vents running here and there through that massive pile of stone, he knew well enough.
prisonsnounUS /ˈprɪzənz/
plural of “prison” — a correctional institution where persons are confined while on trial or for punishment
From this reading Some cavities had been prisons, others granaries, and one vastly greater than all others had been a cistern for storing rain water.
water falling in drops from vapor condensed in the atmosphere
From this reading Some cavities had been prisons, others granaries, and one vastly greater than all others had been a cistern for storing rain water.
(of fluids) moving or issuing in a stream
From this reading That there were cavities, cisterns, secret passages, and air-vents running here and there through that massive pile of stone, he knew well enough.
Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.
From this reading That there were cavities, cisterns, secret passages, and air-vents running here and there through that massive pile of stone, he knew well enough.
the act of firing a projectile
From this reading Not once in all his young life had Johnny Thompson felt so near his end as when he felt himself shooting downward into the unknown heart of the ancient Citadel.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Not once in all his young life had Johnny Thompson felt so near his end as when he felt himself shooting downward into the unknown heart of the ancient Citadel.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Some of them he and Curlie, ever hopeful of finding the hidden treasure, had explored.
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading That there were cavities, cisterns, secret passages, and air-vents running here and there through that massive pile of stone, he knew well enough.
storingverbUS /ˈstɔːrɪŋ/
-ing form of “store” — keep or lay aside for future use
From this reading Some cavities had been prisons, others granaries, and one vastly greater than all others had been a cistern for storing rain water.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Some cavities had been prisons, others granaries, and one vastly greater than all others had been a cistern for storing rain water.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That there were cavities, cisterns, secret passages, and air-vents running here and there through that massive pile of stone, he knew well enough.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Not once in all his young life had Johnny Thompson felt so near his end as when he felt himself shooting downward into the unknown heart of the ancient Citadel.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Some of them he and Curlie, ever hopeful of finding the hidden treasure, had explored.
in or at that place or location
From this reading That there were cavities, cisterns, secret passages, and air-vents running here and there through that massive pile of stone, he knew well enough.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "But this one?"
ThompsonnounUS /ˈtɑːmpsən/
United States classical archaeologist (born in Canada) noted for leading the excavation of the Athenian agora (1906-2000)
From this reading Not once in all his young life had Johnny Thompson felt so near his end as when he felt himself shooting downward into the unknown heart of the ancient Citadel.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading That there were cavities, cisterns, secret passages, and air-vents running here and there through that massive pile of stone, he knew well enough.
accumulated wealth in the form of money or jewels etc.
From this reading Some of them he and Curlie, ever hopeful of finding the hidden treasure, had explored.
not known
From this reading Not once in all his young life had Johnny Thompson felt so near his end as when he felt himself shooting downward into the unknown heart of the ancient Citadel.
vastlyadverbUS /ˈvæstli/
to an exceedingly great extent or degree
From this reading Some cavities had been prisons, others granaries, and one vastly greater than all others had been a cistern for storing rain water.
binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent
From this reading Some cavities had been prisons, others granaries, and one vastly greater than all others had been a cistern for storing rain water.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading That there were cavities, cisterns, secret passages, and air-vents running here and there through that massive pile of stone, he knew well enough.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading That there were cavities, cisterns, secret passages, and air-vents running here and there through that massive pile of stone, he knew well enough.
at the time that
From this reading Not once in all his young life had Johnny Thompson felt so near his end as when he felt himself shooting downward into the unknown heart of the ancient Citadel.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading Not once in all his young life had Johnny Thompson felt so near his end as when he felt himself shooting downward into the unknown heart of the ancient Citadel.
