used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A curious custom prevails among the tribes of South Africa; namely, the so-called making of rain.
AfricanounUS /ˈæfrəkɑː/
the second largest continent; located to the south of Europe and bordered to the west by the South Atlantic and to the east by the Indian Ocean
From this reading A curious custom prevails among the tribes of South Africa; namely, the so-called making of rain.
aloneadjectiveUS /əˈloʊn/
Having no one else present.
From this reading Each tribe has its rain maker, who pretends, by certain charms, of which he alone holds the secret, to command the clouds to do his bidding.
amongprepositionUS /əˈmʌŋ/
surrounded by; in the middle of a group
From this reading A curious custom prevails among the tribes of South Africa; namely, the so-called making of rain.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading KAFFIR TRAITS AND CUSTOMS.
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading These rain doctors, as they are termed by the Kaffirs, are looked upon with awe by the ignorant savages.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading These rain doctors, as they are termed by the Kaffirs, are looked upon with awe by the ignorant savages.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading It is believed that rain can be withheld or granted at the will of these men, who pose as magicians, but who are really the worst of impostors.
awenounUS /ɑː/
an overwhelming feeling of wonder or admiration
From this reading These rain doctors, as they are termed by the Kaffirs, are looked upon with awe by the ignorant savages.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It is believed that rain can be withheld or granted at the will of these men, who pose as magicians, but who are really the worst of impostors.
past form of “believe” — accept as true; take to be true
From this reading It is believed that rain can be withheld or granted at the will of these men, who pose as magicians, but who are really the worst of impostors.
biddingnounUS /ˈbɪdɪŋ/
an authoritative direction or instruction to do something
From this reading Each tribe has its rain maker, who pretends, by certain charms, of which he alone holds the secret, to command the clouds to do his bidding.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading It is believed that rain can be withheld or granted at the will of these men, who pose as magicians, but who are really the worst of impostors.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Each tribe has its rain maker, who pretends, by certain charms, of which he alone holds the secret, to command the clouds to do his bidding.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading It is believed that rain can be withheld or granted at the will of these men, who pose as magicians, but who are really the worst of impostors.
definite but not specified or identified
From this reading Each tribe has its rain maker, who pretends, by certain charms, of which he alone holds the secret, to command the clouds to do his bidding.
charmsnounUS /tʃɑːrmz/
plural of “charm” — attractiveness that interests or pleases or stimulates
From this reading Each tribe has its rain maker, who pretends, by certain charms, of which he alone holds the secret, to command the clouds to do his bidding.
plural of “cloud” — any collection of particles (e.g., smoke or dust) or gases that is visible
From this reading Each tribe has its rain maker, who pretends, by certain charms, of which he alone holds the secret, to command the clouds to do his bidding.
an authoritative direction or instruction to do something
From this reading Each tribe has its rain maker, who pretends, by certain charms, of which he alone holds the secret, to command the clouds to do his bidding.
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading A curious custom prevails among the tribes of South Africa; namely, the so-called making of rain.
accepted or habitual practice
From this reading A curious custom prevails among the tribes of South Africa; namely, the so-called making of rain.
CUSTOMSnounUS /ˈkʌstəmz/
money collected under a tariff
From this reading KAFFIR TRAITS AND CUSTOMS.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Each tribe has its rain maker, who pretends, by certain charms, of which he alone holds the secret, to command the clouds to do his bidding.
doctorsnounUS /ˈdɑːktərz/
plural of “doctor” — a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading These rain doctors, as they are termed by the Kaffirs, are looked upon with awe by the ignorant savages.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading Each tribe has its rain maker, who pretends, by certain charms, of which he alone holds the secret, to command the clouds to do his bidding.
acknowledged as a supposition
From this reading It is believed that rain can be withheld or granted at the will of these men, who pose as magicians, but who are really the worst of impostors.
hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Each tribe has its rain maker, who pretends, by certain charms, of which he alone holds the secret, to command the clouds to do his bidding.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Each tribe has its rain maker, who pretends, by certain charms, of which he alone holds the secret, to command the clouds to do his bidding.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Each tribe has its rain maker, who pretends, by certain charms, of which he alone holds the secret, to command the clouds to do his bidding.
holdsnounUS /hoʊldz/
plural of “hold” — the act of grasping
From this reading Each tribe has its rain maker, who pretends, by certain charms, of which he alone holds the secret, to command the clouds to do his bidding.
uneducated in general; lacking knowledge or sophistication
From this reading These rain doctors, as they are termed by the Kaffirs, are looked upon with awe by the ignorant savages.
impostorsnounUS /ˌɪmˈpɔːstərz/
plural of “impostor” — a person who makes deceitful pretenses
From this reading It is believed that rain can be withheld or granted at the will of these men, who pose as magicians, but who are really the worst of impostors.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It is believed that rain can be withheld or granted at the will of these men, who pose as magicians, but who are really the worst of impostors.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It is believed that rain can be withheld or granted at the will of these men, who pose as magicians, but who are really the worst of impostors.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading Each tribe has its rain maker, who pretends, by certain charms, of which he alone holds the secret, to command the clouds to do his bidding.
KAFFIRnoun
important for human and animal food; growth habit and stem form similar to Indian corn but having sawtooth-edged leaves
From this reading KAFFIR TRAITS AND CUSTOMS.
Kaffirs
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading These rain doctors, as they are termed by the Kaffirs, are looked upon with awe by the ignorant savages.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading These rain doctors, as they are termed by the Kaffirs, are looked upon with awe by the ignorant savages.
magiciansnounUS /məˈdʒɪʃənz/
plural of “magician” — someone who performs magic tricks to amuse an audience
From this reading It is believed that rain can be withheld or granted at the will of these men, who pose as magicians, but who are really the worst of impostors.
makernounUS /ˈmeɪkər/
a person who makes things
From this reading Each tribe has its rain maker, who pretends, by certain charms, of which he alone holds the secret, to command the clouds to do his bidding.
the act that results in something coming to be
From this reading A curious custom prevails among the tribes of South Africa; namely, the so-called making of rain.
the force of workers available
From this reading It is believed that rain can be withheld or granted at the will of these men, who pose as magicians, but who are really the worst of impostors.
namelyadverbUS /ˈneɪmli/
as follows
From this reading A curious custom prevails among the tribes of South Africa; namely, the so-called making of rain.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A curious custom prevails among the tribes of South Africa; namely, the so-called making of rain.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading It is believed that rain can be withheld or granted at the will of these men, who pose as magicians, but who are really the worst of impostors.
poseverbUS /poʊz/
introduce
From this reading It is believed that rain can be withheld or granted at the will of these men, who pose as magicians, but who are really the worst of impostors.
pretendsnounUS /priˈtendz/
plural of “pretend” — the enactment of a pretense
From this reading Each tribe has its rain maker, who pretends, by certain charms, of which he alone holds the secret, to command the clouds to do his bidding.
prevailsverbUS /prɪˈveɪlz/
third-person singular of “prevail” — be larger in number, quantity, power, status or importance
From this reading A curious custom prevails among the tribes of South Africa; namely, the so-called making of rain.
water falling in drops from vapor condensed in the atmosphere
From this reading A curious custom prevails among the tribes of South Africa; namely, the so-called making of rain.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading It is believed that rain can be withheld or granted at the will of these men, who pose as magicians, but who are really the worst of impostors.
savagesnounUS /ˈsævədʒəz/
plural of “savage” — a member of an uncivilized people
From this reading These rain doctors, as they are termed by the Kaffirs, are looked upon with awe by the ignorant savages.
Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.
From this reading Each tribe has its rain maker, who pretends, by certain charms, of which he alone holds the secret, to command the clouds to do his bidding.
so-calledadjectiveUS /ˈsoʊˈkɔːld/
doubtful or suspect
From this reading A curious custom prevails among the tribes of South Africa; namely, the so-called making of rain.
the region of the United States lying to the south of the Mason-Dixon line
From this reading A curious custom prevails among the tribes of South Africa; namely, the so-called making of rain.
termedverbUS /tɜːrmd/
past form of “term” — name formally or designate with a term
From this reading These rain doctors, as they are termed by the Kaffirs, are looked upon with awe by the ignorant savages.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It is believed that rain can be withheld or granted at the will of these men, who pose as magicians, but who are really the worst of impostors.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A curious custom prevails among the tribes of South Africa; namely, the so-called making of rain.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading These rain doctors, as they are termed by the Kaffirs, are looked upon with awe by the ignorant savages.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading These rain doctors, as they are termed by the Kaffirs, are looked upon with awe by the ignorant savages.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Each tribe has its rain maker, who pretends, by certain charms, of which he alone holds the secret, to command the clouds to do his bidding.
TRAITSnounUS /treɪts/
plural of “trait” — a distinguishing feature of your personal nature
From this reading KAFFIR TRAITS AND CUSTOMS.
tribenounUS /traɪb/
a social division of (usually preliterate) people
From this reading Each tribe has its rain maker, who pretends, by certain charms, of which he alone holds the secret, to command the clouds to do his bidding.
tribesnounUS /traɪbz/
plural of “tribe” — a social division of (usually preliterate) people
From this reading A curious custom prevails among the tribes of South Africa; namely, the so-called making of rain.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading These rain doctors, as they are termed by the Kaffirs, are looked upon with awe by the ignorant savages.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Each tribe has its rain maker, who pretends, by certain charms, of which he alone holds the secret, to command the clouds to do his bidding.
which person or people
From this reading Each tribe has its rain maker, who pretends, by certain charms, of which he alone holds the secret, to command the clouds to do his bidding.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading It is believed that rain can be withheld or granted at the will of these men, who pose as magicians, but who are really the worst of impostors.
in the company of; together with
From this reading These rain doctors, as they are termed by the Kaffirs, are looked upon with awe by the ignorant savages.
withheldverbUS /wɪθˈheld/
inflected form of “withhold” — hold back; refuse to hand over or share
From this reading It is believed that rain can be withheld or granted at the will of these men, who pose as magicians, but who are really the worst of impostors.
the least favorable outcome
From this reading It is believed that rain can be withheld or granted at the will of these men, who pose as magicians, but who are really the worst of impostors.
