Chapter XI

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading And a strange room it was.

surrounded by; in the middle of a group

From this reading The drawers, many of which stood open, contained flint-stones chipped and worn, arrowheads of stone, jade hatchets beautifully polished, bronze buckles and iron armlets; while scattered among these were pieces of broken pottery, some rough and only half-baked, others beautifully finished, as the Romans knew how to finish them.

Belonging to the very distant past and no longer in existence or deeply revered.

From this reading THE MAGICIAN'S DREAM OF ANCIENT DAYS.

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading The magician sat in his armchair in the one little room in the house which was his, and his only, besides the observatory.

plural of “animal” — a living organism characterized by voluntary movement

From this reading The walls were hung with skulls and bones of men and animals, with swords, daggers, and shields, coats of mail, and bronze spear-heads.

chair with a support on each side for arms

From this reading The magician sat in his armchair in the one little room in the house which was his, and his only, besides the observatory.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The drawers, many of which stood open, contained flint-stones chipped and worn, arrowheads of stone, jade hatchets beautifully polished, bronze buckles and iron armlets; while scattered among these were pieces of broken pottery, some rough and only half-baked, others beautifully finished, as the Romans knew how to finish them.

plural of “arrowhead” — the pointed head or striking tip of an arrow

From this reading The drawers, many of which stood open, contained flint-stones chipped and worn, arrowheads of stone, jade hatchets beautifully polished, bronze buckles and iron armlets; while scattered among these were pieces of broken pottery, some rough and only half-baked, others beautifully finished, as the Romans knew how to finish them.

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading The drawers, many of which stood open, contained flint-stones chipped and worn, arrowheads of stone, jade hatchets beautifully polished, bronze buckles and iron armlets; while scattered among these were pieces of broken pottery, some rough and only half-baked, others beautifully finished, as the Romans knew how to finish them.

in a beautiful manner

From this reading The drawers, many of which stood open, contained flint-stones chipped and worn, arrowheads of stone, jade hatchets beautifully polished, bronze buckles and iron armlets; while scattered among these were pieces of broken pottery, some rough and only half-baked, others beautifully finished, as the Romans knew how to finish them.

in addition to; as well as

From this reading The magician sat in his armchair in the one little room in the house which was his, and his only, besides the observatory.

(used in the plural) a percussion instrument consisting of a pair of hollow pieces of wood or bone (usually held between the thumb and fingers) that are made to click together (as by Spanish dancers) in rhythm with the dance

From this reading The walls were hung with skulls and bones of men and animals, with swords, daggers, and shields, coats of mail, and bronze spear-heads.

physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split

From this reading The drawers, many of which stood open, contained flint-stones chipped and worn, arrowheads of stone, jade hatchets beautifully polished, bronze buckles and iron armlets; while scattered among these were pieces of broken pottery, some rough and only half-baked, others beautifully finished, as the Romans knew how to finish them.

an alloy of copper and tin and sometimes other elements; also any copper-base alloy containing other elements in place of tin

From this reading The walls were hung with skulls and bones of men and animals, with swords, daggers, and shields, coats of mail, and bronze spear-heads.

plural of “buckle” — fastener that fastens together two ends of a belt or strap; often has loose prong

From this reading The drawers, many of which stood open, contained flint-stones chipped and worn, arrowheads of stone, jade hatchets beautifully polished, bronze buckles and iron armlets; while scattered among these were pieces of broken pottery, some rough and only half-baked, others beautifully finished, as the Romans knew how to finish them.

inflected form of “chip” — break off (a piece from a whole)

From this reading The drawers, many of which stood open, contained flint-stones chipped and worn, arrowheads of stone, jade hatchets beautifully polished, bronze buckles and iron armlets; while scattered among these were pieces of broken pottery, some rough and only half-baked, others beautifully finished, as the Romans knew how to finish them.

plural of “coat” — an outer garment that has sleeves and covers the body from shoulder down; worn outdoors

From this reading The walls were hung with skulls and bones of men and animals, with swords, daggers, and shields, coats of mail, and bronze spear-heads.

gotten under control

From this reading The drawers, many of which stood open, contained flint-stones chipped and worn, arrowheads of stone, jade hatchets beautifully polished, bronze buckles and iron armlets; while scattered among these were pieces of broken pottery, some rough and only half-baked, others beautifully finished, as the Romans knew how to finish them.

plural of “dagger” — a short knife with a pointed blade used for piercing or stabbing

From this reading The walls were hung with skulls and bones of men and animals, with swords, daggers, and shields, coats of mail, and bronze spear-heads.

the time during which someone's life continues

From this reading THE MAGICIAN'S DREAM OF ANCIENT DAYS.

underpants worn by men

From this reading The drawers, many of which stood open, contained flint-stones chipped and worn, arrowheads of stone, jade hatchets beautifully polished, bronze buckles and iron armlets; while scattered among these were pieces of broken pottery, some rough and only half-baked, others beautifully finished, as the Romans knew how to finish them.

A series of thoughts, images, or emotions during sleep.

From this reading THE MAGICIAN'S DREAM OF ANCIENT DAYS.

come or bring to a finish or an end

From this reading The drawers, many of which stood open, contained flint-stones chipped and worn, arrowheads of stone, jade hatchets beautifully polished, bronze buckles and iron armlets; while scattered among these were pieces of broken pottery, some rough and only half-baked, others beautifully finished, as the Romans knew how to finish them.

(of materials or goods) brought to the desired final state

From this reading The drawers, many of which stood open, contained flint-stones chipped and worn, arrowheads of stone, jade hatchets beautifully polished, bronze buckles and iron armlets; while scattered among these were pieces of broken pottery, some rough and only half-baked, others beautifully finished, as the Romans knew how to finish them.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The drawers, many of which stood open, contained flint-stones chipped and worn, arrowheads of stone, jade hatchets beautifully polished, bronze buckles and iron armlets; while scattered among these were pieces of broken pottery, some rough and only half-baked, others beautifully finished, as the Romans knew how to finish them.

foolish; totally unsound

From this reading The drawers, many of which stood open, contained flint-stones chipped and worn, arrowheads of stone, jade hatchets beautifully polished, bronze buckles and iron armlets; while scattered among these were pieces of broken pottery, some rough and only half-baked, others beautifully finished, as the Romans knew how to finish them.

plural of “hatchet” — weapon consisting of a fighting ax; used by North American Indians

From this reading The drawers, many of which stood open, contained flint-stones chipped and worn, arrowheads of stone, jade hatchets beautifully polished, bronze buckles and iron armlets; while scattered among these were pieces of broken pottery, some rough and only half-baked, others beautifully finished, as the Romans knew how to finish them.

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading The magician sat in his armchair in the one little room in the house which was his, and his only, besides the observatory.

a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families

From this reading The magician sat in his armchair in the one little room in the house which was his, and his only, besides the observatory.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The drawers, many of which stood open, contained flint-stones chipped and worn, arrowheads of stone, jade hatchets beautifully polished, bronze buckles and iron armlets; while scattered among these were pieces of broken pottery, some rough and only half-baked, others beautifully finished, as the Romans knew how to finish them.

inflected form of “hang” — be suspended or hanging

From this reading The walls were hung with skulls and bones of men and animals, with swords, daggers, and shields, coats of mail, and bronze spear-heads.

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading The magician sat in his armchair in the one little room in the house which was his, and his only, besides the observatory.

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 The drawers, many of which stood open, contained flint-stones chipped and worn, arrowheads of stone, jade hatchets beautifully polished, bronze buckles and iron armlets; while scattered among these were pieces of broken pottery, some rough and only half-baked, others beautifully finished, as the Romans knew how to finish them.

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading And a strange room it was.

a semiprecious gemstone that takes a high polish; is usually green but sometimes whitish; consists of jadeite or nephrite

From this reading The drawers, many of which stood open, contained flint-stones chipped and worn, arrowheads of stone, jade hatchets beautifully polished, bronze buckles and iron armlets; while scattered among these were pieces of broken pottery, some rough and only half-baked, others beautifully finished, as the Romans knew how to finish them.

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 The drawers, many of which stood open, contained flint-stones chipped and worn, arrowheads of stone, jade hatchets beautifully polished, bronze buckles and iron armlets; while scattered among these were pieces of broken pottery, some rough and only half-baked, others beautifully finished, as the Romans knew how to finish them.

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading The magician sat in his armchair in the one little room in the house which was his, and his only, besides the observatory.

A practitioner of magic and ancient arcane arts, often wielding deception and powerful spells.

From this reading The magician sat in his armchair in the one little room in the house which was his, and his only, besides the observatory.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading THE MAGICIAN'S DREAM OF ANCIENT DAYS.

the bags of letters and packages that are transported by the postal service

From this reading The walls were hung with skulls and bones of men and animals, with swords, daggers, and shields, coats of mail, and bronze spear-heads.

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 The drawers, many of which stood open, contained flint-stones chipped and worn, arrowheads of stone, jade hatchets beautifully polished, bronze buckles and iron armlets; while scattered among these were pieces of broken pottery, some rough and only half-baked, others beautifully finished, as the Romans knew how to finish them.

the force of workers available

From this reading The walls were hung with skulls and bones of men and animals, with swords, daggers, and shields, coats of mail, and bronze spear-heads.

a building designed and equipped to observe astronomical phenomena

From this reading The magician sat in his armchair in the one little room in the house which was his, and his only, besides the observatory.

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading THE MAGICIAN'S DREAM OF ANCIENT DAYS.

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading The magician sat in his armchair in the one little room in the house which was his, and his only, besides the observatory.

and nothing more

From this reading The magician sat in his armchair in the one little room in the house which was his, and his only, besides the observatory.

To move from a closed position.

From this reading The drawers, many of which stood open, contained flint-stones chipped and worn, arrowheads of stone, jade hatchets beautifully polished, bronze buckles and iron armlets; while scattered among these were pieces of broken pottery, some rough and only half-baked, others beautifully finished, as the Romans knew how to finish them.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The drawers, many of which stood open, contained flint-stones chipped and worn, arrowheads of stone, jade hatchets beautifully polished, bronze buckles and iron armlets; while scattered among these were pieces of broken pottery, some rough and only half-baked, others beautifully finished, as the Romans knew how to finish them.

plural of “piece” — a separate part of a whole

From this reading The drawers, many of which stood open, contained flint-stones chipped and worn, arrowheads of stone, jade hatchets beautifully polished, bronze buckles and iron armlets; while scattered among these were pieces of broken pottery, some rough and only half-baked, others beautifully finished, as the Romans knew how to finish them.

perfected or made shiny and smooth

From this reading The drawers, many of which stood open, contained flint-stones chipped and worn, arrowheads of stone, jade hatchets beautifully polished, bronze buckles and iron armlets; while scattered among these were pieces of broken pottery, some rough and only half-baked, others beautifully finished, as the Romans knew how to finish them.

ceramic ware made from clay and baked in a kiln

From this reading The drawers, many of which stood open, contained flint-stones chipped and worn, arrowheads of stone, jade hatchets beautifully polished, bronze buckles and iron armlets; while scattered among these were pieces of broken pottery, some rough and only half-baked, others beautifully finished, as the Romans knew how to finish them.

a New Testament book containing an exposition of the doctrines of Saint Paul; written in AD 58

From this reading The drawers, many of which stood open, contained flint-stones chipped and worn, arrowheads of stone, jade hatchets beautifully polished, bronze buckles and iron armlets; while scattered among these were pieces of broken pottery, some rough and only half-baked, others beautifully finished, as the Romans knew how to finish them.

an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling

From this reading The magician sat in his armchair in the one little room in the house which was his, and his only, besides the observatory.

having or caused by an irregular surface

From this reading The drawers, many of which stood open, contained flint-stones chipped and worn, arrowheads of stone, jade hatchets beautifully polished, bronze buckles and iron armlets; while scattered among these were pieces of broken pottery, some rough and only half-baked, others beautifully finished, as the Romans knew how to finish them.

the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians

From this reading The magician sat in his armchair in the one little room in the house which was his, and his only, besides the observatory.

occurring or distributed over widely spaced and irregular intervals in time or space

From this reading The drawers, many of which stood open, contained flint-stones chipped and worn, arrowheads of stone, jade hatchets beautifully polished, bronze buckles and iron armlets; while scattered among these were pieces of broken pottery, some rough and only half-baked, others beautifully finished, as the Romans knew how to finish them.

plural of “shield” — a protective covering or structure

From this reading The walls were hung with skulls and bones of men and animals, with swords, daggers, and shields, coats of mail, and bronze spear-heads.

plural of “skull” — the bony skeleton of the head of vertebrates

From this reading The walls were hung with skulls and bones of men and animals, with swords, daggers, and shields, coats of mail, and bronze spear-heads.

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading The drawers, many of which stood open, contained flint-stones chipped and worn, arrowheads of stone, jade hatchets beautifully polished, bronze buckles and iron armlets; while scattered among these were pieces of broken pottery, some rough and only half-baked, others beautifully finished, as the Romans knew how to finish them.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The walls were hung with skulls and bones of men and animals, with swords, daggers, and shields, coats of mail, and bronze spear-heads.

a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter

From this reading The drawers, many of which stood open, contained flint-stones chipped and worn, arrowheads of stone, jade hatchets beautifully polished, bronze buckles and iron armlets; while scattered among these were pieces of broken pottery, some rough and only half-baked, others beautifully finished, as the Romans knew how to finish them.

Maintained an upright posture.

From this reading The drawers, many of which stood open, contained flint-stones chipped and worn, arrowheads of stone, jade hatchets beautifully polished, bronze buckles and iron armlets; while scattered among these were pieces of broken pottery, some rough and only half-baked, others beautifully finished, as the Romans knew how to finish them.

being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird

From this reading And a strange room it was.

plural of “sword” — a cutting or thrusting weapon that has a long metal blade and a hilt with a hand guard

From this reading The walls were hung with skulls and bones of men and animals, with swords, daggers, and shields, coats of mail, and bronze spear-heads.

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading THE MAGICIAN'S DREAM OF ANCIENT DAYS.

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading The drawers, many of which stood open, contained flint-stones chipped and worn, arrowheads of stone, jade hatchets beautifully polished, bronze buckles and iron armlets; while scattered among these were pieces of broken pottery, some rough and only half-baked, others beautifully finished, as the Romans knew how to finish them.

the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned

From this reading The drawers, many of which stood open, contained flint-stones chipped and worn, arrowheads of stone, jade hatchets beautifully polished, bronze buckles and iron armlets; while scattered among these were pieces of broken pottery, some rough and only half-baked, others beautifully finished, as the Romans knew how to finish them.

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading The drawers, many of which stood open, contained flint-stones chipped and worn, arrowheads of stone, jade hatchets beautifully polished, bronze buckles and iron armlets; while scattered among these were pieces of broken pottery, some rough and only half-baked, others beautifully finished, as the Romans knew how to finish them.

plural of “wall” — an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure

From this reading The walls were hung with skulls and bones of men and animals, with swords, daggers, and shields, coats of mail, and bronze spear-heads.

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading The magician sat in his armchair in the one little room in the house which was his, and his only, besides the observatory.

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading The walls were hung with skulls and bones of men and animals, with swords, daggers, and shields, coats of mail, and bronze spear-heads.

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading The magician sat in his armchair in the one little room in the house which was his, and his only, besides the observatory.

during the time that

From this reading The drawers, many of which stood open, contained flint-stones chipped and worn, arrowheads of stone, jade hatchets beautifully polished, bronze buckles and iron armlets; while scattered among these were pieces of broken pottery, some rough and only half-baked, others beautifully finished, as the Romans knew how to finish them.

in the company of; together with

From this reading The walls were hung with skulls and bones of men and animals, with swords, daggers, and shields, coats of mail, and bronze spear-heads.

Damaged or thinned by continuous use.

From this reading The drawers, many of which stood open, contained flint-stones chipped and worn, arrowheads of stone, jade hatchets beautifully polished, bronze buckles and iron armlets; while scattered among these were pieces of broken pottery, some rough and only half-baked, others beautifully finished, as the Romans knew how to finish them.