used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The descendant of old John Hyrcanus of Idumaea--a Jew only by compulsion--had no understanding of the children of Moses.
Belonging to the very distant past and no longer in existence or deeply revered.
From this reading He tripped every day on the barriers of ancient law, and often his generosity was taken for defiance.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading For the king there were three great perils: the people, Caesar, and his own family.
barriersnounUS /ˈbæriərz/
plural of “barrier” — a structure or object that impedes free movement
From this reading He tripped every day on the barriers of ancient law, and often his generosity was taken for defiance.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The descendant of old John Hyrcanus of Idumaea--a Jew only by compulsion--had no understanding of the children of Moses.
CaesarnounUS /ˈsiːzər/
conqueror of Gaul and master of Italy (100-44 BC)
From this reading For the king there were three great perils: the people, Caesar, and his own family.
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading The descendant of old John Hyrcanus of Idumaea--a Jew only by compulsion--had no understanding of the children of Moses.
compulsionnounUS /kəmˈpʌlʃən/
an urge to do or say something that might be better left undone or unsaid
From this reading The descendant of old John Hyrcanus of Idumaea--a Jew only by compulsion--had no understanding of the children of Moses.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading He tripped every day on the barriers of ancient law, and often his generosity was taken for defiance.
defiancenounUS /dɪˈfaɪəns/
intentionally contemptuous behavior or attitude
From this reading He tripped every day on the barriers of ancient law, and often his generosity was taken for defiance.
descendantnounUS /dɪˈsendənt/
a person considered as descended from some ancestor
From this reading The descendant of old John Hyrcanus of Idumaea--a Jew only by compulsion--had no understanding of the children of Moses.
everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading He tripped every day on the barriers of ancient law, and often his generosity was taken for defiance.
a social unit living together
From this reading For the king there were three great perils: the people, Caesar, and his own family.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For the king there were three great perils: the people, Caesar, and his own family.
generositynounUS /ˌdʒenərˈɑːsəti/
the trait of being willing to give your money or time
From this reading He tripped every day on the barriers of ancient law, and often his generosity was taken for defiance.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading For the king there were three great perils: the people, Caesar, and his own family.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The descendant of old John Hyrcanus of Idumaea--a Jew only by compulsion--had no understanding of the children of Moses.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading Caesar was not so hard to please.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He tripped every day on the barriers of ancient law, and often his generosity was taken for defiance.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading For the king there were three great perils: the people, Caesar, and his own family.
Hyrcanus
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The descendant of old John Hyrcanus of Idumaea--a Jew only by compulsion--had no understanding of the children of Moses.
Idumaea
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The descendant of old John Hyrcanus of Idumaea--a Jew only by compulsion--had no understanding of the children of Moses.
inflexibleadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈfleksəbəl/
incapable of change
From this reading He had vanity and laws not wholly inflexible.
JewnounUS /dʒuː/
a person belonging to the worldwide group claiming descent from Jacob (or converted to it) and connected by cultural or religious ties
From this reading The descendant of old John Hyrcanus of Idumaea--a Jew only by compulsion--had no understanding of the children of Moses.
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading The descendant of old John Hyrcanus of Idumaea--a Jew only by compulsion--had no understanding of the children of Moses.
a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
From this reading For the king there were three great perils: the people, Caesar, and his own family.
the collection of rules imposed by authority
From this reading He tripped every day on the barriers of ancient law, and often his generosity was taken for defiance.
the first of three divisions of the Hebrew Scriptures comprising the first five books of the Hebrew Bible considered as a unit
From this reading He had vanity and laws not wholly inflexible.
MosesnounUS /ˈmoʊzəs/
(Old Testament) the Hebrew prophet who led the Israelites from Egypt across the Red sea on a journey known as the Exodus; Moses received the Ten Commandments from God on Mount Sinai
From this reading The descendant of old John Hyrcanus of Idumaea--a Jew only by compulsion--had no understanding of the children of Moses.
not any; not one
From this reading The descendant of old John Hyrcanus of Idumaea--a Jew only by compulsion--had no understanding of the children of Moses.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Caesar was not so hard to please.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The descendant of old John Hyrcanus of Idumaea--a Jew only by compulsion--had no understanding of the children of Moses.
many times at short intervals
From this reading He tripped every day on the barriers of ancient law, and often his generosity was taken for defiance.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading The descendant of old John Hyrcanus of Idumaea--a Jew only by compulsion--had no understanding of the children of Moses.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He tripped every day on the barriers of ancient law, and often his generosity was taken for defiance.
and nothing more
From this reading The descendant of old John Hyrcanus of Idumaea--a Jew only by compulsion--had no understanding of the children of Moses.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading For the king there were three great perils: the people, Caesar, and his own family.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading For the king there were three great perils: the people, Caesar, and his own family.
perilsnounUS /ˈperəlz/
plural of “peril” — a source of danger; a possibility of incurring loss or misfortune
From this reading For the king there were three great perils: the people, Caesar, and his own family.
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading Caesar was not so hard to please.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Caesar was not so hard to please.
takenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading He tripped every day on the barriers of ancient law, and often his generosity was taken for defiance.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading For the king there were three great perils: the people, Caesar, and his own family.
in or at that place or location
From this reading For the king there were three great perils: the people, Caesar, and his own family.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading For the king there were three great perils: the people, Caesar, and his own family.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Caesar was not so hard to please.
trippedverbUS /trɪpt/
inflected form of “trip” — miss a step and fall or nearly fall
From this reading He tripped every day on the barriers of ancient law, and often his generosity was taken for defiance.
the cognitive condition of someone who understands
From this reading The descendant of old John Hyrcanus of Idumaea--a Jew only by compulsion--had no understanding of the children of Moses.
feelings of excessive pride
From this reading He had vanity and laws not wholly inflexible.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He tripped every day on the barriers of ancient law, and often his generosity was taken for defiance.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading For the king there were three great perils: the people, Caesar, and his own family.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading He had vanity and laws not wholly inflexible.
