250
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Except for the lightning conductor, it was 250 years after Gilbert before electricity stepped out of the cabinet of scientific curiosities into the life of the common man....
adeterminerUS /ə/
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading And even then the science of electricity remained a mere little group of curious facts for nearly two hundred years, connected perhaps with magnetism—a mere guess that—perhaps with the lightning.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading Except for the lightning conductor, it was 250 years after Gilbert before electricity stepped out of the cabinet of scientific curiosities into the life of the common man....
ambernounUS /ˈæmbər/
a deep yellow color
From this reading It was Gilbert, Queen Elizabeth’s court physician, who first puzzled his brains with rubbed amber and bits of glass and silk and shellac, and so began the quickening of the human mind to the existence of this universal presence.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading How often things must have been seen and dismissed as unimportant, before the speculative eye and the moment of vision came!
asconjunctionUS /æz/
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading How often things must have been seen and dismissed as unimportant, before the speculative eye and the moment of vision came!
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading How often things must have been seen and dismissed as unimportant, before the speculative eye and the moment of vision came!
beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/
earlier than; in front of
From this reading How often things must have been seen and dismissed as unimportant, before the speculative eye and the moment of vision came!
beganverbUS /bɪˈɡæn/
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading It was Gilbert, Queen Elizabeth’s court physician, who first puzzled his brains with rubbed amber and bits of glass and silk and shellac, and so began the quickening of the human mind to the existence of this universal presence.
bitsnounUS /bɪts/
plural of “bit” — a small piece or quantity of something
From this reading It was Gilbert, Queen Elizabeth’s court physician, who first puzzled his brains with rubbed amber and bits of glass and silk and shellac, and so began the quickening of the human mind to the existence of this universal presence.
brainsnounUS /breɪnz/
plural of “brain” — that part of the central nervous system that includes all the higher nervous centers; enclosed within the skull; continuous with the spinal cord
From this reading It was Gilbert, Queen Elizabeth’s court physician, who first puzzled his brains with rubbed amber and bits of glass and silk and shellac, and so began the quickening of the human mind to the existence of this universal presence.
byprepositionUS /baɪ/
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Frogs’ legs must have hung by copper hooks from iron railings and twitched upon countless occasions before Galvani saw them.
cabinetnounUS /ˈkæbənət/
a piece of furniture resembling a cupboard with doors and shelves and drawers; for storage or display
From this reading Except for the lightning conductor, it was 250 years after Gilbert before electricity stepped out of the cabinet of scientific curiosities into the life of the common man....
cameverbUS /keɪm/
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading How often things must have been seen and dismissed as unimportant, before the speculative eye and the moment of vision came!
commonadjectiveUS /ˈkɑːmən/
belonging to or participated in by a community as a whole; public
From this reading Except for the lightning conductor, it was 250 years after Gilbert before electricity stepped out of the cabinet of scientific curiosities into the life of the common man....
conductornounUS /kənˈdʌktər/
the person who leads a musical group
From this reading Except for the lightning conductor, it was 250 years after Gilbert before electricity stepped out of the cabinet of scientific curiosities into the life of the common man....
connectedadjectiveUS /kəˈnektɪd/
being joined in close association
From this reading And even then the science of electricity remained a mere little group of curious facts for nearly two hundred years, connected perhaps with magnetism—a mere guess that—perhaps with the lightning.
coppernounUS /ˈkɑːpər/
a ductile malleable reddish-brown corrosion-resistant diamagnetic metallic element; occurs in various minerals but is the only metal that occurs abundantly in large masses; used as an electrical and thermal conductor
From this reading Frogs’ legs must have hung by copper hooks from iron railings and twitched upon countless occasions before Galvani saw them.
countlessadjectiveUS /ˈkaʊntləs/
too numerous to be counted
From this reading Frogs’ legs must have hung by copper hooks from iron railings and twitched upon countless occasions before Galvani saw them.
courtnounUS /kɔːrt/
an assembly (including one or more judges) to conduct judicial business
From this reading It was Gilbert, Queen Elizabeth’s court physician, who first puzzled his brains with rubbed amber and bits of glass and silk and shellac, and so began the quickening of the human mind to the existence of this universal presence.
curiositiesnounUS /ˌkjʊriˈɑːsətiz/
plural of “curiosity” — a state in which you want to learn more about something
From this reading Except for the lightning conductor, it was 250 years after Gilbert before electricity stepped out of the cabinet of scientific curiosities into the life of the common man....
curiousadjectiveUS /ˈkjʊriəs/
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading And even then the science of electricity remained a mere little group of curious facts for nearly two hundred years, connected perhaps with magnetism—a mere guess that—perhaps with the lightning.
dismissedadjectiveUS /dɪˈsmɪst/
having lost your job
From this reading How often things must have been seen and dismissed as unimportant, before the speculative eye and the moment of vision came!
electricitynounUS /ɪˌlekˈtrɪsəti/
a physical phenomenon associated with stationary or moving electrons and protons
From this reading And even then the science of electricity remained a mere little group of curious facts for nearly two hundred years, connected perhaps with magnetism—a mere guess that—perhaps with the lightning.
Elizabeth'snounUS /ɪˈlɪzəbəθs/
possessive form of “elizabeth” — daughter of George VI who became the Queen of England and Northern Ireland in 1952 on the death of her father (1926-)
From this reading It was Gilbert, Queen Elizabeth’s court physician, who first puzzled his brains with rubbed amber and bits of glass and silk and shellac, and so began the quickening of the human mind to the existence of this universal presence.
evenadjectiveUS /ˈiːvɪn/
divisible by two
From this reading And even then the science of electricity remained a mere little group of curious facts for nearly two hundred years, connected perhaps with magnetism—a mere guess that—perhaps with the lightning.
ExceptprepositionUS /ɪkˈsept/
apart from; not including
From this reading Except for the lightning conductor, it was 250 years after Gilbert before electricity stepped out of the cabinet of scientific curiosities into the life of the common man....
existencenounUS /eɡˈzɪstəns/
the state or fact of existing
From this reading It was Gilbert, Queen Elizabeth’s court physician, who first puzzled his brains with rubbed amber and bits of glass and silk and shellac, and so began the quickening of the human mind to the existence of this universal presence.
eyenounUS /aɪ/
the organ of sight
From this reading How often things must have been seen and dismissed as unimportant, before the speculative eye and the moment of vision came!
factsnounUS /fækts/
plural of “fact” — a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading And even then the science of electricity remained a mere little group of curious facts for nearly two hundred years, connected perhaps with magnetism—a mere guess that—perhaps with the lightning.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading It was Gilbert, Queen Elizabeth’s court physician, who first puzzled his brains with rubbed amber and bits of glass and silk and shellac, and so began the quickening of the human mind to the existence of this universal presence.
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading And even then the science of electricity remained a mere little group of curious facts for nearly two hundred years, connected perhaps with magnetism—a mere guess that—perhaps with the lightning.
FrogsnounUS /frɑːɡz/
plural of “frog” — any of various tailless stout-bodied amphibians with long hind limbs for leaping; semiaquatic and terrestrial species
From this reading Frogs’ legs must have hung by copper hooks from iron railings and twitched upon countless occasions before Galvani saw them.
fromprepositionUS /frʌm/
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Frogs’ legs must have hung by copper hooks from iron railings and twitched upon countless occasions before Galvani saw them.
Galvaninoun
Italian physiologist noted for his discovery that frogs' muscles contracted in an electric field (which led to the galvanic cell) (1737-1798)
From this reading Frogs’ legs must have hung by copper hooks from iron railings and twitched upon countless occasions before Galvani saw them.
GilbertnounUS /ˈɡɪlbərt/
a unit of magnetomotive force equal to 0.7958 ampere-turns
From this reading It was Gilbert, Queen Elizabeth’s court physician, who first puzzled his brains with rubbed amber and bits of glass and silk and shellac, and so began the quickening of the human mind to the existence of this universal presence.
glassnounUS /ɡlæs/
a brittle transparent solid with irregular atomic structure
From this reading It was Gilbert, Queen Elizabeth’s court physician, who first puzzled his brains with rubbed amber and bits of glass and silk and shellac, and so began the quickening of the human mind to the existence of this universal presence.
groupnounUS /ɡruːp/
any number of entities (members) considered as a unit
From this reading And even then the science of electricity remained a mere little group of curious facts for nearly two hundred years, connected perhaps with magnetism—a mere guess that—perhaps with the lightning.
guessverbUS /ɡes/
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading And even then the science of electricity remained a mere little group of curious facts for nearly two hundred years, connected perhaps with magnetism—a mere guess that—perhaps with the lightning.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading How often things must have been seen and dismissed as unimportant, before the speculative eye and the moment of vision came!
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading It was Gilbert, Queen Elizabeth’s court physician, who first puzzled his brains with rubbed amber and bits of glass and silk and shellac, and so began the quickening of the human mind to the existence of this universal presence.
hooksnounUS /hʊks/
large strong hand (as of a fighter)
From this reading Frogs’ legs must have hung by copper hooks from iron railings and twitched upon countless occasions before Galvani saw them.
How
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How often things must have been seen and dismissed as unimportant, before the speculative eye and the moment of vision came!
humanadjectiveUS /ˈhjuːmən/
characteristic of humanity
From this reading It was Gilbert, Queen Elizabeth’s court physician, who first puzzled his brains with rubbed amber and bits of glass and silk and shellac, and so began the quickening of the human mind to the existence of this universal presence.
hundrednounUS /ˈhʌndrəd/
ten 10s
From this reading And even then the science of electricity remained a mere little group of curious facts for nearly two hundred years, connected perhaps with magnetism—a mere guess that—perhaps with the lightning.
hungverbUS /hʌŋ/
inflected form of “hang” — be suspended or hanging
From this reading Frogs’ legs must have hung by copper hooks from iron railings and twitched upon countless occasions before Galvani saw them.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Except for the lightning conductor, it was 250 years after Gilbert before electricity stepped out of the cabinet of scientific curiosities into the life of the common man....
ironnounUS /ˈaɪərn/
a heavy ductile magnetic metallic element; is silver-white in pure form but readily rusts; used in construction and tools and armament; plays a role in the transport of oxygen by the blood
From this reading Frogs’ legs must have hung by copper hooks from iron railings and twitched upon countless occasions before Galvani saw them.
ItpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was Gilbert, Queen Elizabeth’s court physician, who first puzzled his brains with rubbed amber and bits of glass and silk and shellac, and so began the quickening of the human mind to the existence of this universal presence.
legsnounUS /leɡz/
staying power
From this reading Frogs’ legs must have hung by copper hooks from iron railings and twitched upon countless occasions before Galvani saw them.
lifenounUS /laɪf/
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading Except for the lightning conductor, it was 250 years after Gilbert before electricity stepped out of the cabinet of scientific curiosities into the life of the common man....
lightningnounUS /ˈlaɪtnɪŋ/
abrupt electric discharge from cloud to cloud or from cloud to earth accompanied by the emission of light
From this reading And even then the science of electricity remained a mere little group of curious facts for nearly two hundred years, connected perhaps with magnetism—a mere guess that—perhaps with the lightning.
littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading And even then the science of electricity remained a mere little group of curious facts for nearly two hundred years, connected perhaps with magnetism—a mere guess that—perhaps with the lightning.
magnetismnounUS /ˈmæɡnətɪzəm/
attraction for iron; associated with electric currents as well as magnets; characterized by fields of force
From this reading And even then the science of electricity remained a mere little group of curious facts for nearly two hundred years, connected perhaps with magnetism—a mere guess that—perhaps with the lightning.
mannounUS /mæn/
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Except for the lightning conductor, it was 250 years after Gilbert before electricity stepped out of the cabinet of scientific curiosities into the life of the common man....
mereadjectiveUS /mɪr/
being nothing more than specified
From this reading And even then the science of electricity remained a mere little group of curious facts for nearly two hundred years, connected perhaps with magnetism—a mere guess that—perhaps with the lightning.
mindnounUS /maɪnd/
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading It was Gilbert, Queen Elizabeth’s court physician, who first puzzled his brains with rubbed amber and bits of glass and silk and shellac, and so began the quickening of the human mind to the existence of this universal presence.
momentnounUS /ˈmoʊmənt/
a particular point in time
From this reading How often things must have been seen and dismissed as unimportant, before the speculative eye and the moment of vision came!
mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading How often things must have been seen and dismissed as unimportant, before the speculative eye and the moment of vision came!
nearlyadverbUS /ˈnɪrli/
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading And even then the science of electricity remained a mere little group of curious facts for nearly two hundred years, connected perhaps with magnetism—a mere guess that—perhaps with the lightning.
occasionsnounUS /əˈkeɪʒənz/
something you have to do
From this reading Frogs’ legs must have hung by copper hooks from iron railings and twitched upon countless occasions before Galvani saw them.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading How often things must have been seen and dismissed as unimportant, before the speculative eye and the moment of vision came!
oftenadverbUS /ˈɔːfən/
many times at short intervals
From this reading How often things must have been seen and dismissed as unimportant, before the speculative eye and the moment of vision came!
outadjectiveUS /aʊt/
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Except for the lightning conductor, it was 250 years after Gilbert before electricity stepped out of the cabinet of scientific curiosities into the life of the common man....
perhapsadverbUS /pərˈhæps/
by chance
From this reading And even then the science of electricity remained a mere little group of curious facts for nearly two hundred years, connected perhaps with magnetism—a mere guess that—perhaps with the lightning.
physiciannounUS /fəˈzɪʃən/
a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading It was Gilbert, Queen Elizabeth’s court physician, who first puzzled his brains with rubbed amber and bits of glass and silk and shellac, and so began the quickening of the human mind to the existence of this universal presence.
presencenounUS /ˈprezəns/
the state of being present; current existence
From this reading It was Gilbert, Queen Elizabeth’s court physician, who first puzzled his brains with rubbed amber and bits of glass and silk and shellac, and so began the quickening of the human mind to the existence of this universal presence.
puzzledadjectiveUS /ˈpʌzəld/
filled with bewilderment
From this reading It was Gilbert, Queen Elizabeth’s court physician, who first puzzled his brains with rubbed amber and bits of glass and silk and shellac, and so began the quickening of the human mind to the existence of this universal presence.
QueennounUS /kwiːn/
the only fertile female in a colony of social insects such as bees and ants and termites; its function is to lay eggs
From this reading It was Gilbert, Queen Elizabeth’s court physician, who first puzzled his brains with rubbed amber and bits of glass and silk and shellac, and so began the quickening of the human mind to the existence of this universal presence.
quickeningnounUS /ˈkwɪkənɪŋ/
the process of showing signs of life
From this reading It was Gilbert, Queen Elizabeth’s court physician, who first puzzled his brains with rubbed amber and bits of glass and silk and shellac, and so began the quickening of the human mind to the existence of this universal presence.
railingsnounUS /ˈreɪlɪŋz/
plural of “railing” — a barrier consisting of a horizontal bar and supports
From this reading Frogs’ legs must have hung by copper hooks from iron railings and twitched upon countless occasions before Galvani saw them.
remainedverbUS /rɪˈmeɪnd/
past form of “remain” — stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading And even then the science of electricity remained a mere little group of curious facts for nearly two hundred years, connected perhaps with magnetism—a mere guess that—perhaps with the lightning.
rubbedverbUS /rʌbd/
inflected form of “rub” — move over something with pressure
From this reading It was Gilbert, Queen Elizabeth’s court physician, who first puzzled his brains with rubbed amber and bits of glass and silk and shellac, and so began the quickening of the human mind to the existence of this universal presence.
sawverbUS /sɔː/
cut with a saw
From this reading Frogs’ legs must have hung by copper hooks from iron railings and twitched upon countless occasions before Galvani saw them.
sciencenounUS /ˈsaɪəns/
a particular branch of scientific knowledge
From this reading And even then the science of electricity remained a mere little group of curious facts for nearly two hundred years, connected perhaps with magnetism—a mere guess that—perhaps with the lightning.
scientificadjectiveUS /ˌsaɪənˈtɪfɪk/
of or relating to the practice of science
From this reading Except for the lightning conductor, it was 250 years after Gilbert before electricity stepped out of the cabinet of scientific curiosities into the life of the common man....
seenverbUS /siːn/
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading How often things must have been seen and dismissed as unimportant, before the speculative eye and the moment of vision came!
shellacnounUS /ˈʃelæk/
lac purified by heating and filtering; usually in thin orange or yellow flakes but sometimes bleached white
From this reading It was Gilbert, Queen Elizabeth’s court physician, who first puzzled his brains with rubbed amber and bits of glass and silk and shellac, and so began the quickening of the human mind to the existence of this universal presence.
silknounUS /sɪlk/
a fabric made from the fine threads produced by certain insect larvae
From this reading It was Gilbert, Queen Elizabeth’s court physician, who first puzzled his brains with rubbed amber and bits of glass and silk and shellac, and so began the quickening of the human mind to the existence of this universal presence.
soconjunctionUS /soʊ/
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading It was Gilbert, Queen Elizabeth’s court physician, who first puzzled his brains with rubbed amber and bits of glass and silk and shellac, and so began the quickening of the human mind to the existence of this universal presence.
speculativeadjectiveUS /ˈspekjələtɪv/
not financially safe or secure
From this reading How often things must have been seen and dismissed as unimportant, before the speculative eye and the moment of vision came!
steppedverbUS /stept/
inflected form of “step” — shift or move by taking a step
From this reading Except for the lightning conductor, it was 250 years after Gilbert before electricity stepped out of the cabinet of scientific curiosities into the life of the common man....
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading And even then the science of electricity remained a mere little group of curious facts for nearly two hundred years, connected perhaps with magnetism—a mere guess that—perhaps with the lightning.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading How often things must have been seen and dismissed as unimportant, before the speculative eye and the moment of vision came!
thempronounUS /ðem/
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Frogs’ legs must have hung by copper hooks from iron railings and twitched upon countless occasions before Galvani saw them.
thenadverbUS /ðen/
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading And even then the science of electricity remained a mere little group of curious facts for nearly two hundred years, connected perhaps with magnetism—a mere guess that—perhaps with the lightning.
thingsnounUS /θɪŋz/
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading How often things must have been seen and dismissed as unimportant, before the speculative eye and the moment of vision came!
thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading It was Gilbert, Queen Elizabeth’s court physician, who first puzzled his brains with rubbed amber and bits of glass and silk and shellac, and so began the quickening of the human mind to the existence of this universal presence.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It was Gilbert, Queen Elizabeth’s court physician, who first puzzled his brains with rubbed amber and bits of glass and silk and shellac, and so began the quickening of the human mind to the existence of this universal presence.
twitchedverbUS /twɪtʃt/
past form of “twitch” — make an uncontrolled, short, jerky motion
From this reading Frogs’ legs must have hung by copper hooks from iron railings and twitched upon countless occasions before Galvani saw them.
twonounUS /tuː/
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading And even then the science of electricity remained a mere little group of curious facts for nearly two hundred years, connected perhaps with magnetism—a mere guess that—perhaps with the lightning.
unimportantadjectiveUS /ənɪmˈpɔːrtənt/
not important
From this reading How often things must have been seen and dismissed as unimportant, before the speculative eye and the moment of vision came!
universaladjectiveUS /ˌjuːnəˈvɜːrsəl/
of worldwide scope or applicability
From this reading It was Gilbert, Queen Elizabeth’s court physician, who first puzzled his brains with rubbed amber and bits of glass and silk and shellac, and so began the quickening of the human mind to the existence of this universal presence.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Frogs’ legs must have hung by copper hooks from iron railings and twitched upon countless occasions before Galvani saw them.
visionnounUS /ˈvɪʒən/
a vivid mental image
From this reading How often things must have been seen and dismissed as unimportant, before the speculative eye and the moment of vision came!
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was Gilbert, Queen Elizabeth’s court physician, who first puzzled his brains with rubbed amber and bits of glass and silk and shellac, and so began the quickening of the human mind to the existence of this universal presence.
whopronounUS /huː/
which person or people
From this reading It was Gilbert, Queen Elizabeth’s court physician, who first puzzled his brains with rubbed amber and bits of glass and silk and shellac, and so began the quickening of the human mind to the existence of this universal presence.
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading It was Gilbert, Queen Elizabeth’s court physician, who first puzzled his brains with rubbed amber and bits of glass and silk and shellac, and so began the quickening of the human mind to the existence of this universal presence.
yearsnounUS /jɪrz/
a late time of life
From this reading And even then the science of electricity remained a mere little group of curious facts for nearly two hundred years, connected perhaps with magnetism—a mere guess that—perhaps with the lightning.
