used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading THE OSTRICH IN A WILD STATE.
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 The ostrich may be looked upon as the most peculiar bird of Africa.
(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 It is found in almost all sections, and is by far the largest of all living birds, though doubtless many extinct species were much larger.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading It is found in almost all sections, and is by far the largest of all living birds, though doubtless many extinct species were much larger.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading It is an immense bird, often two feet taller than the tallest man, and frequents the barren, sandy plains, such as are common in Africa.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It is found in almost all sections, and is by far the largest of all living birds, though doubtless many extinct species were much larger.
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading It is an immense bird, often two feet taller than the tallest man, and frequents the barren, sandy plains, such as are common in Africa.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The ostrich may be looked upon as the most peculiar bird of Africa.
barrenadjectiveUS /ˈbærən/
providing no shelter or sustenance
From this reading It is an immense bird, often two feet taller than the tallest man, and frequents the barren, sandy plains, such as are common in Africa.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading The ostrich may be looked upon as the most peculiar bird of Africa.
warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading The ostrich may be looked upon as the most peculiar bird of Africa.
plural of “bird” — warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading It is found in almost all sections, and is by far the largest of all living birds, though doubtless many extinct species were much larger.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading The male is generally of a fine glossy black color, with long, loose, white, plumelike feathers in the wings and tail.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading It is found in almost all sections, and is by far the largest of all living birds, though doubtless many extinct species were much larger.
a visual attribute of things that results from the light they emit or transmit or reflect
From this reading The male is generally of a fine glossy black color, with long, loose, white, plumelike feathers in the wings and tail.
belonging to or participated in by a community as a whole; public
From this reading It is an immense bird, often two feet taller than the tallest man, and frequents the barren, sandy plains, such as are common in Africa.
without doubt; certainly
From this reading It is found in almost all sections, and is by far the largest of all living birds, though doubtless many extinct species were much larger.
extinctadjectiveUS /ɪkˈstɪŋkt/
no longer in existence; lost or especially having died out leaving no living representatives
From this reading It is found in almost all sections, and is by far the largest of all living birds, though doubtless many extinct species were much larger.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading It is found in almost all sections, and is by far the largest of all living birds, though doubtless many extinct species were much larger.
feathersnounUS /ˈfeðərz/
plural of “feather” — the light horny waterproof structure forming the external covering of birds
From this reading The male is generally of a fine glossy black color, with long, loose, white, plumelike feathers in the wings and tail.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading It is an immense bird, often two feet taller than the tallest man, and frequents the barren, sandy plains, such as are common in Africa.
being satisfactory or in satisfactory condition
From this reading The male is generally of a fine glossy black color, with long, loose, white, plumelike feathers in the wings and tail.
set up or found
From this reading It is found in almost all sections, and is by far the largest of all living birds, though doubtless many extinct species were much larger.
frequentsverbUS /ˈfriːkwənts/
third-person singular of “frequent” — do one's shopping at; do business with; be a customer or client of
From this reading It is an immense bird, often two feet taller than the tallest man, and frequents the barren, sandy plains, such as are common in Africa.
usually; as a rule
From this reading The male is generally of a fine glossy black color, with long, loose, white, plumelike feathers in the wings and tail.
glossyadjectiveUS /ˈɡlɔːsi/
based on pretense; deceptively pleasing
From this reading The male is generally of a fine glossy black color, with long, loose, white, plumelike feathers in the wings and tail.
unusually great in size or amount or degree or especially extent or scope
From this reading It is an immense bird, often two feet taller than the tallest man, and frequents the barren, sandy plains, such as are common in Africa.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading THE OSTRICH IN A WILD STATE.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It is found in almost all sections, and is by far the largest of all living birds, though doubtless many extinct species were much larger.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It is found in almost all sections, and is by far the largest of all living birds, though doubtless many extinct species were much larger.
large or big relative to something else
From this reading It is found in almost all sections, and is by far the largest of all living birds, though doubtless many extinct species were much larger.
largestadjectiveUS /ˈlɑːrdʒəst/
superlative of “large” — above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading It is found in almost all sections, and is by far the largest of all living birds, though doubtless many extinct species were much larger.
the experience of being alive; the course of human events and activities
From this reading It is found in almost all sections, and is by far the largest of all living birds, though doubtless many extinct species were much larger.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading The male is generally of a fine glossy black color, with long, loose, white, plumelike feathers in the wings and tail.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading The ostrich may be looked upon as the most peculiar bird of Africa.
not compact or dense in structure or arrangement
From this reading The male is generally of a fine glossy black color, with long, loose, white, plumelike feathers in the wings and tail.
malenounUS /meɪl/
an animal that produces gametes (spermatozoa) that can fertilize female gametes
From this reading The male is generally of a fine glossy black color, with long, loose, white, plumelike feathers in the wings and tail.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading It is an immense bird, often two feet taller than the tallest man, and frequents the barren, sandy plains, such as are common in Africa.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading It is found in almost all sections, and is by far the largest of all living birds, though doubtless many extinct species were much larger.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading The ostrich may be looked upon as the most peculiar bird of Africa.
used to form the superlative
From this reading The ostrich may be looked upon as the most peculiar bird of Africa.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading It is found in almost all sections, and is by far the largest of all living birds, though doubtless many extinct species were much larger.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The ostrich may be looked upon as the most peculiar bird of Africa.
many times at short intervals
From this reading It is an immense bird, often two feet taller than the tallest man, and frequents the barren, sandy plains, such as are common in Africa.
OSTRICHnounUS /ˈɔːstrɪtʃ/
a person who refuses to face reality or recognize the truth (a reference to the popular notion that the ostrich hides from danger by burying its head in the sand)
From this reading THE OSTRICH IN A WILD STATE.
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading The ostrich may be looked upon as the most peculiar bird of Africa.
plainsnounUS /pleɪnz/
plural of “plain” — extensive tract of level open land
From this reading It is an immense bird, often two feet taller than the tallest man, and frequents the barren, sandy plains, such as are common in Africa.
plumelikeadjective
resembling a plume
From this reading The male is generally of a fine glossy black color, with long, loose, white, plumelike feathers in the wings and tail.
sandyadjectiveUS /ˈsændi/
of hair color; pale yellowish to yellowish brown
From this reading It is an immense bird, often two feet taller than the tallest man, and frequents the barren, sandy plains, such as are common in Africa.
sectionsnounUS /ˈsekʃənz/
plural of “section” — a self-contained part of a larger composition (written or musical)
From this reading It is found in almost all sections, and is by far the largest of all living birds, though doubtless many extinct species were much larger.
speciesnounUS /ˈspiːʃiz/
(biology) taxonomic group whose members can interbreed
From this reading It is found in almost all sections, and is by far the largest of all living birds, though doubtless many extinct species were much larger.
the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation
From this reading THE OSTRICH IN A WILD STATE.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading It is an immense bird, often two feet taller than the tallest man, and frequents the barren, sandy plains, such as are common in Africa.
the posterior part of the body of a vertebrate especially when elongated and extending beyond the trunk or main part of the body
From this reading The male is generally of a fine glossy black color, with long, loose, white, plumelike feathers in the wings and tail.
talleradjectiveUS /ˈtɔːlər/
comparative of “tall” — great in vertical dimension; high in stature
From this reading It is an immense bird, often two feet taller than the tallest man, and frequents the barren, sandy plains, such as are common in Africa.
tallestadjectiveUS /ˈtɔːlɪst/
superlative of “tall” — great in vertical dimension; high in stature
From this reading It is an immense bird, often two feet taller than the tallest man, and frequents the barren, sandy plains, such as are common in Africa.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading It is an immense bird, often two feet taller than the tallest man, and frequents the barren, sandy plains, such as are common in Africa.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE OSTRICH IN A WILD STATE.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading It is found in almost all sections, and is by far the largest of all living birds, though doubtless many extinct species were much larger.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading It is an immense bird, often two feet taller than the tallest man, and frequents the barren, sandy plains, such as are common in Africa.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading The ostrich may be looked upon as the most peculiar bird of Africa.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading It is found in almost all sections, and is by far the largest of all living birds, though doubtless many extinct species were much larger.
a Caucasian
From this reading The male is generally of a fine glossy black color, with long, loose, white, plumelike feathers in the wings and tail.
marked by extreme lack of restraint or control
From this reading THE OSTRICH IN A WILD STATE.
a means of flight or ascent
From this reading The male is generally of a fine glossy black color, with long, loose, white, plumelike feathers in the wings and tail.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The male is generally of a fine glossy black color, with long, loose, white, plumelike feathers in the wings and tail.
