the |
1. art. Definite grammatical article that implies necessarily that an entity it articulates is presupposed; something already mentioned, or completely specified later in that same sentence, or assumed already | |
I’m reading the book. (Compare I’m reading a book.) | |
The street in front of your house. (Compare A street in Paris.) | |
The men and women watched the man give the birdseed to the bird. | |
2. art. Used before a noun modified by a restrictive relative clause, indicating that the noun refers to a single referent defined by the relative clause. | |
The street that runs through my hometown. | |
3. art. Used before an object considered to be unique, or of which there is only one at a time. | |
No one knows how many galaxies there are in the universe. | |
God save the Queen! | |
4. art. Used before a superlative or an ordinal number modifying a noun, to indicate that the noun refers to a single item. | |
That was the best apple pie ever. | |
5. art. Added to a superlative or an ordinal number to make it into a substantive. | |
That apple pie was the best. | |
6. art. Introducing a singular term to be taken generically: preceding a name of something standing for a whole class. | |
7. art. Used before an adjective, indicating all things (especially persons) described by that adjective. | |
Feed the hungry, clothe the naked, comfort the afflicted, and afflict the comfortable. | |
8. art. Used to indicate a certain example of (a noun) which is usually of most concern or most common or familiar. | |
No one in the whole country had seen it before. | |
I don't think I'll get to it until the morning. | |
9. art. Used before a body part (especially of someone previously mentioned), as an alternative to a possessive pronoun. | |
A stone hit him on the head. (= “A stone hit him on his head.”) | |
10. art. When stressed, indicates that it describes an object which is considered to be best or exclusively worthy of attention. | |
That is the hospital to go to for heart surgery. | |
11. adv. 1=With a comparative ormore and a verb phrase, establishes a parallel with one or more other such comparatives. | |
The hotter the better. | |
The more I think about it, the weaker it looks. | |
The more money donated, the more books purchased, and the more happy children. | |
It looks weaker and weaker, the more I think about it. | |
12. adv. 1=With a comparative, and often withfor it, indicates a result more like said comparative. This can be negated withnone. | |
It was a difficult time, but I’m the wiser for it. | |
It was a difficult time, and I’m none the wiser for it. | |
I'm much the wiser for having had a difficult time like that. | |
endemic |
1. adj. Native to a particular area or culture; originating where it occurs. | |
The endemic religion of Easter Island arrived with the Polynesian settlers. | |
2. adj. (especially of plants and animals) Peculiar to a particular area or region; not found in other places. | |
Kangaroos are endemic to Australia. | |
3. adj. (especially of diseases) Prevalent in a particular area or region. | |
Malaria is endemic to the tropics. | |
4. n. An individual or species that is endemic to a region. | |
5. n. A disease affecting a number of people simultaneously, so as to show a distinct connection with certain localities. | |
Religion |
1. n. (alt-form, religion), especially when defined as a school subject. | |
2. n. The belief in a reality beyond what is perceptible by the senses, and the practices associated with this belief. | |
My brother tends to value religion, but my sister not as much. | |
3. n. A particular system of such belief, and the rituals and practices proper to it. | |
Islam is a major religion in parts of Asia and Africa. | |
Eckankar is a new religion but Zoroastrianism is an old religion. | |
4. n. The way of life committed to by monks and nuns. | |
The monk entered religion when he was 20 years of age. | |
5. n. Any practice to which someone or some group is seriously devoted. | |
At this point, Star Trek has really become a religion. | |
6. n. (obsolete) Faithfulness to a given principle; conscientiousness. | |
7. v. Engage in religious practice. | |
8. v. Indoctrinate into a specific religion. | |
9. v. To make sacred or symbolic; sanctify. | |
of |
1. prep. Expressing distance or motion. | |
2. prep. (now obsolete, or dialectal) From (of distance, direction), "off". | |
3. prep. (obsolete except in phrases) Since, from (a given time, earlier state etc.). | |
4. prep. From, away from (a position, number, distance etc.). | |
There are no shops within twenty miles of the cottage. | |
5. prep. (North America, Scotland, Ireland) Before (the hour); to. | |
What's the time? / Nearly a quarter of three. | |
6. prep. Expressing separation. | |
7. prep. (Indicating removal, absence or separation, with the action indicated by a transitive verb and the quality or substance by a grammatical object.) | |
Finally she was relieved of the burden of caring for her sick husband. | |
8. prep. (Indicating removal, absence or separation, with resulting state indicated by an adjective.) | |
He seemed devoid of human feelings. | |
9. prep. (obsolete) (Indicating removal, absence or separation, construed with an intransitive verb.) | |
10. prep. Expressing origin. | |
11. prep. (Indicating an ancestral source or origin of descent.) | |
The word is believed to be of Japanese origin. | |
12. prep. (Indicating a (non-physical) source of action or emotion; introducing a cause, instigation); from, out of, as an expression of. | |
The invention was born of necessity. | |
13. prep. (following an intransitive verb) (Indicates the source or cause of the verb.) | |
It is said that she died of a broken heart. | |
14. prep. (following an adjective) (Indicates the subject or cause of the adjective.) | |
I am tired of all this nonsense. | |
15. prep. Expressing agency. | |
16. prep. (following a passive verb) (Indicates the agent (for most verbs, now usually expressed with by).) | |
I am not particularly enamoured of this idea. | |
17. prep. (Used to introduce the "subjective genitive"; following a noun to form the head of a postmodifying noun phrase) (see also 'Possession' senses below). | |
The contract can be terminated at any time with the agreement of both parties. | |
18. prep. (following an adjective) (Used to indicate the agent of something described by the adjective.) | |
It was very brave of you to speak out like that. | |
19. prep. Expressing composition, substance. | |
20. prep. (after a verb expressing construction, making etc.) (Used to indicate the material or substance used.) | |
Many 'corks' are now actually made of plastic. | |
21. prep. (directly following a noun) (Used to indicate the material of the just-mentioned object.) | |
She wore a dress of silk. | |
22. prep. (Indicating the composition of a given collective or quantitative noun.) | |
What a lot of nonsense! | |
23. prep. (Used to link a given class of things with a specific example of that class.) | |
Welcome to the historic town of Harwich. | |
24. prep. (Links two nouns in near-apposition, with the first qualifying the second); "which is also". | |
I'm not driving this wreck of a car. | |
25. prep. Introducing subject matter. | |
26. prep. (Links an intransitive verb, or a transitive verb and its subject (especially verbs to do with thinking, feeling, expressing etc.), with its subject-ma | |
I'm always thinking of you. | |
27. prep. (following a noun (now chiefly nouns of knowledge, communication etc.)) (Introduces its subject matter); about, concerning. | |
He told us the story of his journey to India. | |
28. prep. (following an adjective) (Introduces its subject matter.) | |
This behaviour is typical of teenagers. | |
29. prep. Having partitive effect. | |
30. prep. (following a number or other quantitive word) (Introduces the whole for which is indicated only the specified part or segment); "from among". | |
Most of these apples are rotten. | |
31. prep. (following a noun) (Indicates a given part.) | |
32. prep. (now archaic, literary, with preceding partitive word assumed, or as a predicate after to be) Some, an amount of, one of. | |
On the whole, they seem to be of the decent sort. | |
33. prep. (Links to a genitive noun or possessive pronoun, with partitive effect (though now often merged with possessive senses, below).) | |
He is a friend of mine. | |
34. prep. Expressing possession. | |
35. prep. Belonging to, existing in, or taking place in a given location, place or time. Compare "origin" senses, above. | |
He was perhaps the most famous scientist of the twentieth century. | |
36. prep. Belonging to (a place) through having title, ownership or control over it. | |
The owner of the nightclub was arrested. | |
37. prep. Belonging to (someone or something) as something they possess or have as a characteristic; (the "possessive genitive". (With abstract nouns, this inter | |
Keep the handle of the saucepan away from the flames. | |
38. prep. Forming the "objective genitive". | |
39. prep. (Follows an agent noun, verbal noun or noun of action.) | |
She had a profound distrust of the police. | |
40. prep. Expressing qualities or characteristics. | |
41. prep. (now archaic, or literary) (Links an adjective with a noun or noun phrase to form a quasi-adverbial qualifier); in respect to, as regards. | |
My companion seemed affable and easy of manner. | |
42. prep. (Indicates a quality or characteristic); "characterized by". | |
Pooh was said to be a bear of very little brain. | |
43. prep. (Indicates quantity, age, price, etc.) | |
We have been paying interest at a rate of 10%. | |
44. prep. (US, informal considered incorrect by some) (Used to link singular indefinite nouns (preceded by the indefinite article) and attributive adjectives mod | |
It's not that big of a deal. | |
45. prep. Expressing a point in time. | |
46. prep. (chiefly regional) During the course of (a set period of time, day of the week etc.), now specifically with implied repetition or regularity. | |
Of an evening, we would often go for a stroll along the river. | |
47. prep. (UK dialectal, chiefly in negative constructions) For (a given length of time). | |
I've not tekken her out of a goodly long while. | |
48. prep. (after a noun) (Indicates duration of a state, activity etc.) | |
After a delay of three hours, the plane finally took off. | |
Easter |
1. n. (Christianity) A Christian feast commemorating the resurrection of Christ; the first Sunday (and Monday) following the full moon that occurs on or next after the vernal equinox, ranging from March 22 | |
We spent each of the past five Easters together as a family. | |
2. n. Eastertide | |
3. n. (obsolete) The Jewish Passover. | |
4. n. (paganism) A festival held in honour of the goddess Eostre or Ostara, celebrated at the spring equinox or within the month of April, and also called Ostara or Eostre. | |
5. n. Easter term. | |
6. adj. (now regional) Eastern. | |
island |
1. n. A contiguous area of land, smaller than a continent, totally surrounded by water. | |
2. n. An entity surrounded by other entities that are very different from itself. | |
an island of tranquility (a calm place surrounded by a noisy environment) | |
an island of colour on a butterfly's wing | |
3. n. A superstructure on an aircraft carrier's deck. | |
4. n. A traffic island. | |
the island in the middle of a roundabout | |
5. n. (government) An unincorporated area wholly surrounded by one or more incorporated areas. | |
6. n. (grammar) A phrase from which a wh-word cannot be extracted without yielding invalid grammar. | |
7. v. To surround with water; make into an island. | |
8. v. To set, dot (as if) with islands. | |
9. v. To isolate. | |
arrived |
1. v. simple past tense and past participle of arrive | |
arrive |
1. v. (intransitive, copulative) To reach; to get to a certain place. | |
We arrived at the hotel and booked in. | |
2. v. (intransitive) To obtain a level of success or fame; to succeed. | |
He had finally arrived on Broadway. | |
3. v. (lbl, en, intransitive) To come; said of time. | |
The time has arrived for us to depart. | |
4. v. (lbl, en, intransitive) To happen or occur. | |
5. v. (transitive, archaic) To reach; to come to. | |
6. v. (intransitive, obsolete) To bring to shore. | |
with |
1. prep. Against. | |
He picked a fight with the class bully. | |
2. prep. In the company of; alongside, close to; near to. | |
He went with his friends. | |
3. prep. In addition to; as an accessory to. | |
She owns a motorcycle with a sidecar. | |
4. prep. Used to indicate simultaneous happening, or immediate succession or consequence. | |
5. prep. In support of. | |
We are with you all the way. | |
6. prep. (obsolete) To denote the accomplishment of cause, means, instrument, etc; – sometimes equivalent to by. | |
slain with robbers | |
7. prep. Using as an instrument; by means of. | |
cut with a knife | |
8. prep. (obsolete) Using as nourishment; more recently replaced by on. | |
9. prep. Having, owning. | |
10. adv. Along, together with others, in a group, etc. | |
Do you want to come with? | |
11. adv. --> | |
12. n. alternative form of withe | |
the |
1. art. Definite grammatical article that implies necessarily that an entity it articulates is presupposed; something already mentioned, or completely specified later in that same sentence, or assumed already | |
I’m reading the book. (Compare I’m reading a book.) | |
The street in front of your house. (Compare A street in Paris.) | |
The men and women watched the man give the birdseed to the bird. | |
2. art. Used before a noun modified by a restrictive relative clause, indicating that the noun refers to a single referent defined by the relative clause. | |
The street that runs through my hometown. | |
3. art. Used before an object considered to be unique, or of which there is only one at a time. | |
No one knows how many galaxies there are in the universe. | |
God save the Queen! | |
4. art. Used before a superlative or an ordinal number modifying a noun, to indicate that the noun refers to a single item. | |
That was the best apple pie ever. | |
5. art. Added to a superlative or an ordinal number to make it into a substantive. | |
That apple pie was the best. | |
6. art. Introducing a singular term to be taken generically: preceding a name of something standing for a whole class. | |
7. art. Used before an adjective, indicating all things (especially persons) described by that adjective. | |
Feed the hungry, clothe the naked, comfort the afflicted, and afflict the comfortable. | |
8. art. Used to indicate a certain example of (a noun) which is usually of most concern or most common or familiar. | |
No one in the whole country had seen it before. | |
I don't think I'll get to it until the morning. | |
9. art. Used before a body part (especially of someone previously mentioned), as an alternative to a possessive pronoun. | |
A stone hit him on the head. (= “A stone hit him on his head.”) | |
10. art. When stressed, indicates that it describes an object which is considered to be best or exclusively worthy of attention. | |
That is the hospital to go to for heart surgery. | |
11. adv. 1=With a comparative ormore and a verb phrase, establishes a parallel with one or more other such comparatives. | |
The hotter the better. | |
The more I think about it, the weaker it looks. | |
The more money donated, the more books purchased, and the more happy children. | |
It looks weaker and weaker, the more I think about it. | |
12. adv. 1=With a comparative, and often withfor it, indicates a result more like said comparative. This can be negated withnone. | |
It was a difficult time, but I’m the wiser for it. | |
It was a difficult time, and I’m none the wiser for it. | |
I'm much the wiser for having had a difficult time like that. | |
Polynesian |
1. adj. Of, from, or pertaining to Polynesia. | |
2. n. A person from Polynesia. | |
settlers |
1. n. plural of settler | |
settler |
1. n. Someone who settles in a new location, especially one who takes up residence in a previously uninhabited place; a colonist. | |
the first settlers of New England | |
2. n. Someone who decides or settles something, such as a dispute. | |
3. n. (colloquial) That which settles or finishes, such as a blow that decides a contest. | |
4. n. (British) The person in a betting shop who calculates the winnings. | |
5. n. A drink which settles the stomach, especially a bitter drink, often a nightcap. | |
6. n. A vessel, such as a tub, in which something, such as pulverized ore suspended in a liquid, is allowed to settle. | |