used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The muezzin, going up to the minaret at midnight, had seen a white figure kneeling before the kibleh.
ablutionsnounUS /əˈbluːʃənz/
plural of “ablution” — the ritual washing of a priest's hands or of sacred vessels
From this reading It was then dark, and only the Sheikh in charge had seen him when, after making his ablutions, he entered by the holy door.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading It was then dark, and only the Sheikh in charge had seen him when, after making his ablutions, he entered by the holy door.
AlinounUS /ˈɑːli/
United States prizefighter who won the world heavyweight championship three times (born in 1942)
From this reading On leaving Gordon’s quarters he had crossed the courtyard of the fortress to the mosque of Mohammed Ali.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading This led to the discovery of his whereabouts, and to some knowledge of his movements.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The muezzin, going up to the minaret at midnight, had seen a white figure kneeling before the kibleh.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading The muezzin, going up to the minaret at midnight, had seen a white figure kneeling before the kibleh.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading It was then dark, and only the Sheikh in charge had seen him when, after making his ablutions, he entered by the holy door.
definite but not specified or identified
From this reading It was certain that he had spent the entire night in the mosque.
to make a rush at or sudden attack upon, as in battle
From this reading It was then dark, and only the Sheikh in charge had seen him when, after making his ablutions, he entered by the holy door.
courtyardnounUS /ˈkɔːrt.jɑːrd/
An unroofed area that is completely or partially enclosed by the walls of a house.
From this reading On leaving Gordon’s quarters he had crossed the courtyard of the fortress to the mosque of Mohammed Ali.
placed crosswise
From this reading On leaving Gordon’s quarters he had crossed the courtyard of the fortress to the mosque of Mohammed Ali.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading It was then dark, and only the Sheikh in charge had seen him when, after making his ablutions, he entered by the holy door.
the act of discovering something
From this reading This led to the discovery of his whereabouts, and to some knowledge of his movements.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading It was then dark, and only the Sheikh in charge had seen him when, after making his ablutions, he entered by the holy door.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading It was then dark, and only the Sheikh in charge had seen him when, after making his ablutions, he entered by the holy door.
constituting the full quantity or extent; complete
From this reading It was certain that he had spent the entire night in the mosque.
a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading The muezzin, going up to the minaret at midnight, had seen a white figure kneeling before the kibleh.
fortressnounUS /ˈfɔːrtrəs/
a fortified defensive structure
From this reading On leaving Gordon’s quarters he had crossed the courtyard of the fortress to the mosque of Mohammed Ali.
the act of departing
From this reading The muezzin, going up to the minaret at midnight, had seen a white figure kneeling before the kibleh.
Gordon's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading On leaving Gordon’s quarters he had crossed the courtyard of the fortress to the mosque of Mohammed Ali.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading On leaving Gordon’s quarters he had crossed the courtyard of the fortress to the mosque of Mohammed Ali.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading On leaving Gordon’s quarters he had crossed the courtyard of the fortress to the mosque of Mohammed Ali.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It was then dark, and only the Sheikh in charge had seen him when, after making his ablutions, he entered by the holy door.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading This led to the discovery of his whereabouts, and to some knowledge of his movements.
a sacred place of pilgrimage
From this reading It was then dark, and only the Sheikh in charge had seen him when, after making his ablutions, he entered by the holy door.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It was then dark, and only the Sheikh in charge had seen him when, after making his ablutions, he entered by the holy door.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was then dark, and only the Sheikh in charge had seen him when, after making his ablutions, he entered by the holy door.
kibleh
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The muezzin, going up to the minaret at midnight, had seen a white figure kneeling before the kibleh.
kneelingnounUS /ˈniːlɪŋ/
supporting yourself on your knees
From this reading The muezzin, going up to the minaret at midnight, had seen a white figure kneeling before the kibleh.
the psychological result of perception and learning and reasoning
From this reading This led to the discovery of his whereabouts, and to some knowledge of his movements.
the act of departing
From this reading On leaving Gordon’s quarters he had crossed the courtyard of the fortress to the mosque of Mohammed Ali.
diode such that light emitted at a p-n junction is proportional to the bias current; color depends on the material used
From this reading This led to the discovery of his whereabouts, and to some knowledge of his movements.
the act that results in something coming to be
From this reading It was then dark, and only the Sheikh in charge had seen him when, after making his ablutions, he entered by the holy door.
12 o'clock at night; the middle of the night
From this reading The muezzin, going up to the minaret at midnight, had seen a white figure kneeling before the kibleh.
minaretnounUS /ˌmɪnərˈet/
slender tower with balconies
From this reading The muezzin, going up to the minaret at midnight, had seen a white figure kneeling before the kibleh.
MohammednounUS /moʊˈhæmɪd/
the Arab prophet who, according to Islam, was the last messenger of Allah (570-632)
From this reading On leaving Gordon’s quarters he had crossed the courtyard of the fortress to the mosque of Mohammed Ali.
mosquenounUS /mɑːsk/
(Islam) a Muslim place of worship that usually has a minaret
From this reading On leaving Gordon’s quarters he had crossed the courtyard of the fortress to the mosque of Mohammed Ali.
plural of “movement” — a change of position that does not entail a change of location
From this reading This led to the discovery of his whereabouts, and to some knowledge of his movements.
muezzinnoun
the Muslim official of a mosque who summons the faithful to prayer from a minaret five times a day
From this reading The muezzin, going up to the minaret at midnight, had seen a white figure kneeling before the kibleh.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading It was certain that he had spent the entire night in the mosque.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading This led to the discovery of his whereabouts, and to some knowledge of his movements.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading On leaving Gordon’s quarters he had crossed the courtyard of the fortress to the mosque of Mohammed Ali.
and nothing more
From this reading It was then dark, and only the Sheikh in charge had seen him when, after making his ablutions, he entered by the holy door.
housing available for people to live in
From this reading On leaving Gordon’s quarters he had crossed the courtyard of the fortress to the mosque of Mohammed Ali.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading It was then dark, and only the Sheikh in charge had seen him when, after making his ablutions, he entered by the holy door.
SheikhnounUS /ʃiːk/
the leader of an Arab village or family
From this reading It was then dark, and only the Sheikh in charge had seen him when, after making his ablutions, he entered by the holy door.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading This led to the discovery of his whereabouts, and to some knowledge of his movements.
depleted of energy, force, or strength
From this reading It was certain that he had spent the entire night in the mosque.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It was certain that he had spent the entire night in the mosque.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading This led to the discovery of his whereabouts, and to some knowledge of his movements.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading It was then dark, and only the Sheikh in charge had seen him when, after making his ablutions, he entered by the holy door.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This led to the discovery of his whereabouts, and to some knowledge of his movements.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading This led to the discovery of his whereabouts, and to some knowledge of his movements.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading The muezzin, going up to the minaret at midnight, had seen a white figure kneeling before the kibleh.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was then dark, and only the Sheikh in charge had seen him when, after making his ablutions, he entered by the holy door.
at the time that
From this reading It was then dark, and only the Sheikh in charge had seen him when, after making his ablutions, he entered by the holy door.
whereaboutsnounUS /ˈwerəbaʊts/
the general location where something is
From this reading This led to the discovery of his whereabouts, and to some knowledge of his movements.
a Caucasian
From this reading The muezzin, going up to the minaret at midnight, had seen a white figure kneeling before the kibleh.
