Old Greek Stories
James Baldwin (1895) · Pre-Reading Vocabulary · prepared by Vocabularium
Match guide. Of this book’s 41,603 words of running text, a reader who knows the 3,000 most common English words can already read 91% — one who knows 6,000 reads 95%. The lists below close most of the remaining gap.
Words Worth Knowing Anywhere
High School (65 words)
maiden ×53 Webster 1828
noun
1. An unmarried woman, or a young unmarried woman; a virgin.
2. A female servant.
3. It is used in composition, to express the feminine gender, as in maid-servant.
MA'IDEN, noun A maid; also, an instrument for beheading cri…
“"You are Io who was once a fair and happy maiden in distant Argos; and now, because of the tyrant Jupiter and his jealous queen, you are doomed to wander from land to land in that unhuman form.”
spear ×18 Webster 1828
noun
1. A long pointed weapon, used in war and hunting by thrusting or throwing; a lance.
2. A sharp pointed instrument with barbs; used for stabbing fish and other animals.
3.
“Every man was clothed in a suit of brass armor; and every one had a long spear in his right hand and a shield in his left.”
weave ×15 Webster 1828
verb transitive preterit tense wove; participle passive woven, wove. The regular form, weaved, is rarely or never used. [G., Gr.]
1. To unite threads of any kind in such a manner as to form cloth.
“All that she cared to do from morn till noon was to sit in the sun and spin; and all that she cared to do from noon till night was to sit in the shade and weave.”
dreadful ×14 Webster 1828
adjective
1. Impressing great fear; terrible; formidable; as a dreadful storm, or dreadful night.
The great and dreadful day of the Lord. Malachi 4:5.
2. Awful; venerable.
How dreadful is this place. Genesis 48:1.
“This serpent often seized sheep and cattle, and sometimes even men and women and children, and carried them up to his dreadful den and devoured them.”
wander ×12 Webster 1828
verb intransitive [G., to wander to walk, to change, exchange or transform.]
1. To rove; to ramble here and there without any certain course or object in view; as, to wander over the fields; to wander about the town, or about th…
“But they could look down and see what men were doing, and oftentimes they were said to leave their lofty homes and wander unknown across the land or over the sea.”
seize ×12 Webster 1828
verb transitive
1. To fall or rush upon suddenly and lay hold on; or to gripe or grasp suddenly. The tiger rushes from the thicket and seizes his prey. A dog seizes an animal by the throat.
“He bade two of his servants, whose names were Strength and Force, to seize the bold Titan and carry him to the topmost peak of the Caucasus Mountains.”
slain ×12 Webster 1828
participle passive of slay; so written for slayen. Killed.
“And they said, "No one; and we and our children and our flocks shall all be slain by him."”
vine ×11 Webster 1828
noun [Latin vinca. See Wine.]
1. A plant that produces grapes, of the genus Vitis, and of a great number of varieties.
2.
“Apples and figs and oranges always hung ripe from the trees; and there were purple grapes on the vines, and melons and berries of every kind, which the people had but to pick and eat.”
crow ×11 Webster 1828
noun [G., Latin ]
1. A large black fowl, of the genus Corvus; the beak is convex and cultrated, the nostrils are covered with bristly feathers, the tongue is forked and cartilaginous.
“"The crow will fly swiftly every morning to Parnassus, and tell me whether you and the child are well, and what you are doing while I am away."”
deeds ×10 Modern
1. (noun) performance of moral or religious acts
“He was only a common man and not a Titan like his great father, and yet he was known far and wide for his good deeds and the uprightness of his life.”
hid ×9 Webster 1828
HID
HI'DAGE, noun [from hide, a quantity of land.] An extraordinary tax formerly paid to the kings of England for every hide of land.
“And Arachne herself was ashamed and afraid when she saw it; and she hid her face in her hands and wept.”
altar ×9 Webster 1828
noun [Latin altare, probably from the same root as altus, high.
1. A mount; a table or elevated place, on which sacrifices where anciently offered to some deity.
“Early the next morning he built an altar of stones in the open field; and when he had killed the fattest goat of the flock, he built a fire on the altar and laid the thighs of the goat in the flames.”
sailed ×9 Webster 1828
participle passive Passed in ships or other water craft.
“Then the young men sailed on in their little ship.”
traveler ×9 Webster 1828
noun
1. One who travels in any way. Job:31.
2. One who visits foreign countries.
3. In ships, an iron thimble or thimbles with a rope spliced round them, forming a kind of tail or a species of grommet.
“It was his custom to hide in the thickets of underbrush, close to a pathway, and, when a traveler passed that way, leap out upon him and beat him to death.”
sorrow ×8 Webster 1828
noun The uneasiness or pain of mind which is produced by the loss of any good. or of frustrated hopes of good, or expected loss of happiness; to grieve; to be sad.
“The other brother of Jupiter was a sad pale-faced being, whose kingdom was underneath the earth, where the sun never shone and where there was darkness and weeping and sorrow all the time.”
grape ×8 Webster 1828
noun [This word is from the root of grab, gripe, and signifies primarily a cluster or bunch.]
1. Properly, a cluster of the fruit of the vine; but with us, a single berry of the vine; the fruit from which wine is made by expressi…
“Apples and figs and oranges always hung ripe from the trees; and there were purple grapes on the vines, and melons and berries of every kind, which the people had but to pick and eat.”
flock ×8 Webster 1828
noun [Latin floccus. It is the same radically as flake, and applied to wool or hair, we write it lock. See Flake.]
1. A company or collection; applied to sheep and other small animals.
“They no longer built houses and tended their flocks and lived together in peace; but every man was at war with his neighbor, and there was no law nor safety in all the land.”
arose ×8 Webster 1828
The past or preterit tense of the verb, to arise.
“A storm arose, the sky was black, the billows were mountain high, the winds roared fearfully; yet through it all the child slept soundly in his mother's arms.”
frightened ×8 Webster 1828
participle passive Terrified; suddenly alarmed with danger.
“She was frightened; and still the music was so charming that she could not run away.”
meadow ×7 Webster 1828
noun med'o. A tract of low land. In America, the word is applied particularly to the low ground on the banks of rivers, consisting of a rich mold or an alluvial soil, whether grass land, pasture, tillage or wood land; as the mead…
“The woods and meadows were always full of blossoms, and the music of singing birds was heard every day and every hour.”
foe ×7 Webster 1828
noun fo. [See Fiend.]
1. An enemy; one who entertains personal enmity, hatred, grudge or malice against another.
A man's foes shall be they of his own household. Matthew 10:36.
2.
“Of course, good, quiet old Saturn and his brothers and sisters could not hold out always against such foes as these.”
vineyard ×6 Webster 1828
VIN'NEWED, adjective Moldy; musty. [Not in use.]
“It lay in the midst of rich wheat fields and fruitful vineyards; but beyond the vineyards there was a deep dense forest where many wild beasts lived.”
fearful ×5 Webster 1828
adjective
1. Affected by fear; feeling pain in expectation of evil; apprehensive with solicitude; afraid. I am fearful of the consequences of rash conduct. Hence,
2.
“Cadmus had seen many fearful sights, but never anything so dreadful as this beast.”
blossom ×5 Webster 1828
noun [Gr. a bud, probably from the same root.]
1. The flower or corol of a plant; a general term, applicable to every species of tree or plant, but more generally used than flower or bloom, when we have reference to the fruit whi…
“The woods and meadows were always full of blossoms, and the music of singing birds was heard every day and every hour.”
bind ×5 Webster 1828
verb transitive
1. To tie together, or confine with a cord, or any thing that is flexible; to fasten as with a band, fillet or ligature.
2.
“Then he sent the blacksmith Vulcan to bind him with iron chains and fetter him to the rocks so that he could not move hand or foot.”
marvelous ×5 Webster 1828
adjective
1. Wonderful; strange; exciting wonder or some degree of surprise.
This is the Lord's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. Psalms 118:1.
2. Surpassing credit; incredible.
3.
“Then the others came in their turn, each with a gift for the marvelous creature.”
dread ×5 Webster 1828
noun Dred. [Latin , to dread; fearful; to tremble. The primary sense is probably to tremble, or to shrink.]
1. Great fear, or apprehension of evil or danger. It expresses more than fear, and less than terror or fright.
“The few people who lived there kept themselves hidden among the rocks as if in dread of some great danger.”
rugged ×5 Webster 1828
adjective [from the root of rug, rough, which see.]
1. Rough; full of asperities on the surface; broken into sharp or irregular points or crags, or otherwise uneven; as a rugged mountain; a rugged road.
2.
“Through brake, through brier, over rocks and the trunks of fallen trees, down rugged slopes, across mountain streams, leaping, flying, panting, Daphne ran.”
cloak ×5 Webster 1828
CLOAK. [See Cloke.]
“She looked up and saw in the doorway a tall woman wrapped in a long cloak.”
flee ×5 Webster 1828
verb intransitive
1. To run with rapidity, as from danger; to attempt to escape; to hasten from danger or expected evil. The enemy fled at the first fire.
Arise, take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt.
“The Python saw that his foe was no common man, and turned to flee.”
roaring ×5 Webster 1828
participle present tense Crying like a bull or lion; uttering a deep loud sound.
ROARING, noun The cry of a lion or other beast; outcry of distress, Job 3:24; loud continued sound of the billows of the sea or of a tempest.
“He thought that she was about to leap into the rushing, roaring waters, and he reached out his hands to save her.”
mil ×5 Modern
1. (noun) an angular unit used in artillery 2. (noun) a metric unit of volume equal to one thousandth of a liter 3. (noun) a unit of length equal to one thousandth of an inch
“From the place where Admetus lived it was only a few miles to Iolcus, a rich city by the sea.”
bidding ×5 Webster 1828
participle present tense Inviting; offering; commanding.
BID'DING, noun Invitation; command; order; a proclamation or notifying.
“For how should he ever make good his promise and do the king's bidding?”
wrestler ×5 Webster 1828
noun One who wrestles; or one who is skillful in wrestling.
“WRESTLER AND WRONG-DOER.”
winding ×5 Webster 1828
participle present tense
1. Turning; binding about; bending.
2. adjective Bending; twisting from a direct line or an even surface.
WINDING, noun
1.
“Athens was now not more than twenty miles away, but the road thither led through the Parnes Mountains, and was only a narrow path winding among the rocks and up and down many a lonely wooded glen.”
lest ×4 Webster 1828
conjunction That not; for fear that.
Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. Genesis 3:3.
The phrase may be thus explained. Ye shall not touch it; that separated or dismissed, ye die.
“Some broke down the fruit trees in the woods, lest others should eat of the fruit.”
lid ×4 Webster 1828
LID. noun [Latin claudo, cludo; Gr.; Heb.]
A cover; that which shuts the opening of a vessel or box; as the lid of a chest or trunk; also, the cover of the eye, the membrane which is drawn over the eyeball of an animal at pleasu…
“She opened the lid a very little, just to peep inside.”
tearing ×4 Webster 1828
participle present tense [from tear, to rend.] Rending; pulling apart; lacerating; violent; raging.
“As he went tearing along towards Calydon, champing his teeth and foaming at the mouth, he was a frightful thing to look at, I tell you.”
claw ×4 Webster 1828
noun
1. The sharp hooked nail of a beast, bird or other animal.
Every beast that parteth the hoof, and cleaveth the cleft into two claws, and cheweth the cud--ye shall eat.
“The beast sprang at Cadmus, and tried to seize him with its sharp claws.”
helpless ×4 Webster 1828
adjective Without help in one's self; destitute of the power or means to succor or relieve one's self. A person is rendered helpless by weakness, or want of means.
An infant is helpless
1.
“But when he had taken the little Perseus and his mother out of the prison and had seen how helpless the child was, he could not bear the thought of having him killed outright.”
drift ×4 Webster 1828
noun
1. That which is driven by wind or water, as drift seems to be primarily a participle. Hence,
2. A heap of any matter driven together; as a drift of snow, called also a snow-drift; a drift of sand.
3.
“Day and night, day and night, I cannot tell how long, the boat drifted hither and thither.”
doorway ×4 Webster 1913
1. The passage of a
door; entrance way into a house or a room.
“She looked up and saw in the doorway a tall woman wrapped in a long cloak.”
dwell ×4 Webster 1828
verb intransitive preterit tense dwelled, usually contracted into dwelt. [See Dally.]
1. To abide as a permanent resident, or to inhabit for a time; to live in a place; to have a habitation for some time or permanence.
God shall…
“said Theseus to his companions, "and with the help of Athena who dwells in her temple home in our own fair city, I will save you."”
ruler ×4 Webster 1828
noun
1. One that governs, whether emperor, king, pope or governor; any one that exercises supreme power over others.
2. One that makes or executes laws in a limited or free government.
“Of course the mighty ruler of earth and sky was too wise to be puzzled by so simple a thing, but he was too busy to answer it at once.”
laurel ×4 Webster 1828
noun [Latin laurus.]
The bay-tree or Laurus, a genus of plants of several species.
“But it was not the fair, timid Daphne that he caught in his arms; it was the trunk of a laurel tree, its green leaves trembling in the breeze.”
slender ×4 Webster 1828
adjective
1. Thin; small in circumference compared with the length; not thick; as a slender stem or stalk of a plant.
2. Small in the waist; not thick or gross. A slender waist is considered as a beauty.
3.
“When he saw her growing up to be tall and slender and wise, he wondered if, after all, he would have to die some time and leave his lands and his gold and his kingdom to her.”
rash ×4 Webster 1828
adjective
1. Hasty in council or action; precipitate; resolving or entering on a project or measure without due deliberation and caution, and thus encountering unnecessary hazard; applied to persons; as a rash statesman or minist…
“What was this Medusa's head which he had so rashly promised to bring?”
deed ×4 Webster 1828
noun
1. That which is done, acted or effected; an act; a fact; a word of extensive application, including whatever is done, good or bad, great or small.
And Joseph said to them, what deed is this which ye have done? Gen.
“Then they kissed him and wished him good luck, and bade him hasten to do the dangerous deed.”
faint ×4 Webster 1828
adjective [Latin vanus, whence to vanish. Eng. to wane.]
1. weak; languid; inclined to swoon; as, to be rendered faint by excessive evacuations.
2. Weak; feeble; languid; exhausted; as faint with fatigue, hunger or thirst.
3.
“"This tree will give you food when you are hungry; it will shelter you from the sun when you are faint; it will beautify your city; and the oil from its fruit will be sought by all the world."”
ropes ×4 Webster 1828
noun
1. A large string or line composed of several strands twisted together. It differs from cord, line and string, only in its size; being the name given to all sorts of cordage above an inch in circumference.
“But Theseus, peering about, saw the ax and the ropes with cunning pulleys lying hidden behind the curtains; and he saw, too, that the floor was covered with stains of blood.”
invent ×4 Webster 1828
verb transitive [Latin invenio, inventum; in and venio, to come; literally, to come to, to fall on, to meet, Eng. to find.]
1.
“He was the first to fasten things together with glue; he invented the plumb-line and the auger; and he showed seamen how to put up masts in their ships and how to rig the sails to them with ropes.”
glitter ×3 Webster 1828
verb intransitive
1. To shine; to sparkle with light; to gleam; to be splendid; as a glittering sword.
The field yet glitters with the pomp of war.
2.
“They lived in glittering, golden mansions, high up among the clouds--so high indeed that the eyes of men could never see them.”
sickness ×3 Webster 1828
noun
1. Nausea; squeamishness; as sickness of the stomach.
2. State of being diseased. I do lament the sickness of the king.
3.
“There was no such thing as sickness or sorrow or old age.”
blaze ×3 Webster 1828
noun [Eng.to blush.]
1. Flame; the stream of light and heat from any body when burning, proceeding from the combustion of inflammable gas.
2. Publication; wide diffusion of report.
“She made haste to pour water upon the blaze, and when every spark was put out, she took the charred stick and put it into a strong chest where she kept her treasures, and locked it up.”
doom ×3 Webster 1828
verb transitive [Latin , to esteem, and perhaps with the root of condemn. See Deem.]
1. To judge. [Unusual.]
Thou didst not doom so strictly.
2.
“"You are Io who was once a fair and happy maiden in distant Argos; and now, because of the tyrant Jupiter and his jealous queen, you are doomed to wander from land to land in that unhuman form.”
drown ×3 Webster 1828
verb transitive
1. Literally, to overwhelm in water; an appropriately, to extinguish life by immersion in water or other fluid; applied to animals; also, to suspend animation by submersion.
2.
“And the sea in which poor Icarus was drowned was called forever afterward by his name, the Icarian Sea.”
bon ×3 Webster 1913
1. Good; valid as security for something.
“said Mercury, "and as you go, cast the bones of your mother over your shoulders behind you;"”
wrath ×3 Webster 1828
noun [Latin]
1. Violent anger; vehement exasperation; indignation; as the wrath of Achilles.
When the wrath of king Ahasuerus was appeased--Esther 2:1.
O Lord--in wrath remember mercy. Habakkuk 3:2.
2. The effects of anger.
“She cried out to him and told him to let the cow go; and her face was so full of wrath that, as soon as he saw her, he turned and fled, and left poor Io to her fate.”
sting ×3 Webster 1828
verb transitive preterit tense and participle passive stung. Stang is obsolete. [G., to stick, to sting We see that sting is stick altered in orthography and pronunciation.]
1.
“Then she found a great gadfly, as big as a bat, and sent it to buzz in the white cow's ears, and to bite her and sting her so that she could have no rest all day long.”
afterward ×3 Webster 1828
or 'AFTERWARDS, adverb [See Ward.] In later or subsequent time.
“Ages afterward, the great-grandson of the great-grandson of Io's great-grandson broke the chains of Prometheus and set that mighty friend of mankind free.”
warp ×3 Webster 1828
noun Waurp. [See the Verb.]
1. In manufactures, the threads, which are extended lengthwise in the loom, and crossed by the woof.
2. In a ship, a rope employed in drawing, towing or removing a ship or boat; a towing line.
3.
“THE WARP.”
boast ×3 Webster 1828
verb intransitive [Gr. to inflate; Latin fastus.]
1. To brag, or vaunt one's self; to make an ostentatious display, in speech, of one's own worth, property, or actions.
2.
“said the woman, "I am Athena, the queen of the air, and I have heard your boast.”
dolphin ×3 Webster 1828
noun [Gr.]
1. A genus of cetaceous fish, with teeth in both jaws, and a pipe in the head, comprehending the dolphin the porpoise, the grampus and the beluga.
“said Apollo; "for it was a dolphin that carried my mother across the sea."”
obey ×3 Webster 1828
verb transitive [Latin obedio; Gr.]
1. To comply with the commands, orders or instructions of a superior, or with the requirements of law, moral, political or municipal; to do that which is commanded or required, or to forbear d…
“There the gentle lady found rest and a home; for the place belonged to Neptune, and the words of cruel Juno were not obeyed there.”
pillar ×3 Webster 1828
noun [Latin pila, a pile, a pillar a mortar and pestle. The Latin pila denotes a heap, or things thrown, put or driven together.]
Literally, a pile or heap; hence,
1.
“It was he who taught the people how to build better houses and how to hang their doors on hinges and how to support the roofs with pillars and posts.”
College (45 words)
robber ×22 Webster 1828
noun
1. In law, one that takes goods or money from the person of another by force or menaces, and with a felonious intent.
2.
“In that forest there dwelt a robber giant, called Club-carrier, who was the terror of all the country.”
boar ×17 Webster 1828
noun [Latin aper, and verres.] The male of swine not castrated.
“If you want her, you must come for her in a chariot drawn by a lion and a wild boar.”
chariot ×12 Webster 1828
CHARIOT,noun
1. A half coach; a carriage with four wheels and one seat behind, used for convenience and pleasure.
2. A car or vehicle used formerly in war, drawn by two or more horses, and conveying two men each.
“His swan-team and his golden chariot were not at hand--for, now that he was living with men, he must travel like men.”
weep ×11 Webster 1828
verb intransitive preterit tense and participle passive wept. Weeped, I believe is never used. [See Whoop. The primary sense is to cry out.]
1. To express sorrow, grief or anguish by outcry. This is the original sense.
“from morn till night; and when the sun had set, and it was dark, she lay down on the cold ground and wept, and cried, "Moo!”
weeping ×9 Webster 1828
participle present tense Lamenting; shedding tears.
WEEPING, noun Lamentation.
“The other brother of Jupiter was a sad pale-faced being, whose kingdom was underneath the earth, where the sun never shone and where there was darkness and weeping and sorrow all the time.”
serpent ×9 Webster 1828
noun [Latin serpens, creeping; serpo, to creep.]
1. An animal of the order of Serpentes, [creepers, crawlers, ] Of the class of Amphibia.
“There were wings on his shoes and on his cap, and in his hands he bore a staff with golden serpents twined around it.”
loom ×9 Webster 1828
noun
1. In composition, heir-loom, in law, is a personal chattel that by special custom descends to an heir with the inheritance, being such a thing as cannot be separated from the estate, without injury to it; such as jewels of…
“And oh, how fine and fair were the things which she wove in her loom!”
overtake ×9 Webster 1828
verb transitive
1. To come up with in a course, pursuit, progress or motion; to catch.
The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake Exodus 15:9.
2. To come upon; to fall on afterwards. Vengeance shall overtake the wicked.
3.
“The king sent out his fastest ship to try to overtake the bull.”
whispered ×8 Webster 1828
participle passive Uttered in a low voice; uttered with suspicion or caution.
“Then the man took off his winged slippers, and put them on the feet of Perseus; and the woman whispered to him to be off at once, and to fear nothing, but be bold and true.”
onward ×8 Webster 1828
adverb [Latin versus.]
1. Toward the point before or in front; forward; progressively; in advance; as, to move onward
Not one looks backward, onward still he goes.
2. In a state of advanced progression.
3.
“The river smiled, and Daphne ran onward, climbing one hill after another, and wondering why the great mountain seemed still so far away.”
chained ×7 Webster 1828
participle passive Made fast, or bound by a chain; connected by a chain; bound; enslaved.
“She stopped and looked up at the cold gray peak and the giant body which was chained there.”
nearer ×7 Modern
1. (adverb) (comparative of `near' or `close') within a shorter distance
“Nearer and nearer they came, but they swerved not to the right nor to the left.”
pouch ×7 Webster 1828
noun
1. A small bag; usually, a leathern bag to be carried in the pocket.
2. A protuberant belly.
3. The bag or sack of a fowl, as that of the pelican.
POUCH, verb transitive To pocket; to save.
1.
“Quick as thought he thrust the terrible head into his magic pouch and leaped again into the air, and flew away with the speed of the wind.”
wrestle ×7 Webster 1828
verb intransitive resl.
1. To strive with arms extended, as two men, who seize each other by the collar and arms, each endeavoring to throw the other by tripping up his heels and twitching him off his center.
Another, by a fall i…
“He makes every stranger who comes into the city wrestle with him; and such is the strength of his arms that when he has overcome a man he crushes the life out of his body.”
artisan ×6 Webster 1828
noun s as z. [Latin ars. See Art.]
An artist; one skilled in any art, mystery or trade; a handicrafts-man; a mechanic; a tradesman.
“So it was not hard for him to persuade Daedalus to make his home with him and be the chief of his artisans.”
boldly ×6 Webster 1828
adverb In a bold matter; courageously; intrepidly; without timidity or fear; with confidence. Sometimes, perhaps, in a bad sense, for impudently.
“Then he went boldly to Jupiter and begged him to give fire to men, that so they might have a little comfort through the long, dreary months of winter.”
tyrant ×6 Webster 1828
noun [Latin tyrannus.]
“"Mankind shall have fire in spite of the tyrant who sits on the mountain top,"”
haste ×6 Webster 1828
noun
1. Celerity of motion; speed; swiftness; dispatch; expedition; applied only to voluntary beings, as men and other animals; never to other bodies.
“Of course it would be easy enough to deal with Prometheus at any time, and so Jupiter was in no great haste about it.”
slay ×6 Webster 1828
verb transitive preterit tense slew; participle passive slain. [The proper sense is to strike, and as beating was an early mode of killing, this word, like smite, came to signify to kill.
“He did not know which way to go to find the Gorgons, and he had no weapon with which to slay the terrible Medusa.”
trembling ×5 Webster 1828
participle present tense Shaking, as with fear, cold or weakness; quaking; shivering.
“Jupiter said not a word, nor even showed himself to the tired, trembling maiden.”
alarmed ×5 Webster 1828
participle passive Notified of sudden danger; surprised with fear; roused to vigilance or activity by apprehension of approaching danger; solicitous at the prospect or expectation of evil.
“As time went by, AEsculapius cured so many people and saved so many lives that Pluto, the pale-faced king of the Lower World, became alarmed.”
perish ×5 Webster 1828
verb intransitive [Latin pereo, supposed to be compounded of per and eo, to go; literally, to depart wholly.]
1. To die; to lose life in any manner; applied to animals.
“This, then, was why she had been chained to the rock by the shore and left there to perish in the jaws of the beast.”
blacksmith ×4 Webster 1828
noun [black and smith.] A smith who works in iron, and makes iron utensils; more properly, an iron-smith.
Black'-strakes, in a ship, are a range of planks immediately above the wales in a ship's side, covered with tar and lamp-bl…
“There was Vulcan, a skillful blacksmith, who had his forge in a burning mountain and wrought many wonderful things of iron and copper and gold.”
sow ×4 Webster 1828
noun
1. The female of the hog kind or of swine.
2. An oblong piece of lead.
3. An insect; a milleped.
SOW'-BREAD, noun A plant of the genus Cyclamen.
SOW'-BUG, noun An insect; a milleped.
“Athena told Cadmus that he must take out the teeth of the dragon and sow them in the ground.”
peep ×4 Webster 1828
verb intransitive [Latin pipio; Heb. to cry out.]
1. To begin to appear; to make the first appearance; to issue or come forth from concealment, as through a narrow avenue.
I can see his pride
PEEP through each part of him.
When…
“She opened the lid a very little, just to peep inside.”
morrow ×4 Webster 1828
noun
1. The day next after the present.
Till this stormy night is gone,
And th' eternal morrow dawn.
This word is often preceded by on or to.
The Lord did that thing on the morrow Exodus 9:5.
To morrow shall this sign be.…
“They were diseases and cares; for up to that time mankind had not had any kind of sickness, nor felt any troubles of mind, nor worried about what the morrow might bring forth.”
hillside ×4 Webster 1828
noun The side or declivity of a hill.
“Then, all at once, the sound ceased, and a young man, tall and fair and with a face as bright as the morning sun, came down the hillside towards her.”
wreath ×4 Webster 1828
noun [See Writhe.]
1. To twist; to convolve; to wind one about another; as, to wreath a garland of flowers.
2. To interweave; to entwine; as chains of wreathed work.
3.
“But Apollo believed that it was so, and hence he made a wreath of the laurel leaves and set it on his head like a crown, and said that he would wear it always in memory of the lovely maiden.”
winged ×4 Webster 1828
participle passive
1. Furnished with wings; transported by flying.
2. adjective Having wings; as a winged fowl. Genesis 1:21.
3. Swift; rapid; as with winged haste.
4. Wounded; hurt.
5.
“The man looked like a prince; and there were wings on his cap and on his feet, and he carried a winged staff, around which two golden serpents were twined.”
moan ×4 Webster 1828
verb transitive To lament; to deplore; to bewail with an audible voice.
Ye floods, ye woods, ye echoes, moan
My dear Columbo dead and gone.
MOAN, verb intransitive To grieve; to make lamentations.
Unpitied and unheard, where mis…
“But Perseus stood a little way off and taunted them; and they moaned and mumbled and shrieked, as they found that their words did not move him.”
cub ×4 Webster 1828
noun
1. The young of certain quadrupeds, as the bear and the fox; a puppy; a whelp. Waller uses the word for the young of the whale.
2. A young boy or girl, in contempt.
CUB, noun A stall for cattle.
“She was out looking for her cubs, for some hunters had stolen them that very day while she was away from home.”
dar ×4 Webster 1828
DAR or DART, noun A fish found in the Severn.
“He was so fierce and so fleet of foot that the bravest warrior hardly dared to attack him.”
dine ×4 Webster 1828
verb intransitive [Latin , to cease. Gr., to feast.] To eat the chief meal of the day. This meal seems originally to have been taken about the middle of the day, at least in northern climates, as it still is by laboring people.
“Fetch him in and let him dine with me; and after that he shall have his fill of wrestling."”
cunning ×4 Webster 1828
adjective [G. See Can.]
1. Knowing; skillful; experienced; well-instructed. It is applied to all kinds of knowledge, but generally and appropriately, to the skill and dexterity of artificers, or the knowledge acquired by experien…
“But Theseus, peering about, saw the ax and the ropes with cunning pulleys lying hidden behind the curtains; and he saw, too, that the floor was covered with stains of blood.”
heed ×3 Webster 1828
verb transitive To mind; to regard with care; to take notice of; to attend to; to observe.
With pleasure Argus the musician heeds.
HEED, noun Care; attention.
With wanton heed and giddy cunning.
1.
“The wise teacher will take heed not to be guilty of such an error.”
wrought ×3 Webster 1828
preterit tense and participle passive of work. raut.
1. Worked; formed by work or labor; as wrought iron.
2. Effected; performed.
She hath wrought a good work upon me. Matthew 26:10.
3. Effected; produced.
“There was Vulcan, a skillful blacksmith, who had his forge in a burning mountain and wrought many wonderful things of iron and copper and gold.”
wretched ×3 Webster 1828
adjective
1. Very miserable; sunk into deep affliction or distress, either from want, anxiety or grief.
The wretched find no friends.
2. Calamitous; very afflicting; as the wretched condition of slaves in Algiers.
3.
“Ah, how very poor and wretched they were!”
stalk ×3 Webster 1828
noun [G., a handle, and a stalk or stem. Gr. from the root of stall; to set.]
1. The stem, culm or main body of an herbaceous plant. Thus we speak of a stalk of wheat, rye or oats, the stalks of maiz or hemp.
“He took the long stalk in his hands, and started with it towards the dwelling of the sun in the far east.”
casket ×3 Webster 1828
noun
1. A small chest or box, for jewels or other small articles.
2. In seamens language, a small rope, fastened to gromets or little rings upon the yards, used to fasten the sail to the yard in furling.
This is usually written g…
“The name of this creature was Foreboding, and although he was almost half out of the casket, Pandora pushed him back and shut the lid so tight that he could never escape.”
slew ×3 Webster 1828
preterit tense of slay.
grieve ×3 Webster 1828
verb transitive [Latin gravo, from gravis.]
1. To give pain of mind to; to afflict; to wound the feelings. Nothing grieves a parent like the conduct of a profligate child.
2.
“Jupiter was grieved when he saw to what a hard life Io had been doomed, and he tried to think of some plan to set her free.”
fleece ×3 Webster 1828
noun flees. [Latin vellus, from vello, to pluck or tear off.]
The coat of wool shorn from a sheep at one time.
FLEECE, verb transitive
1. To shear off a covering or growth of wool.
2.
“Very many of these men had been with Meleager in that wonderful voyage in search of the Golden Fleece, and he felt sure they would come.”
graceful ×3 Webster 1828
adjective Beautiful with dignity; elegant; agreeable in appearance, with an expression of dignity or elevation of mind or manner; used particularly of motion, looks and speech; as a graceful walk; a graceful deportment; a gracefu…
“Apollo became tall and strong and graceful; his face was as bright as the sunbeams; and he carried joy and gladness with him wherever he went.”
wooded ×3 Webster 1828
adjective Supplied or covered with wood; as land wooded and watered.
“Beyond her were other hills, and then the green slopes and wooded top of great Mount Ossa.”
pierced ×3 Webster 1828
participle passive pers'ed. Penetrated; entered by force; transfixed.
“She had seen him coming, and was running gladly to greet him, when the cruel arrow pierced her heart.”
Rare & Period Words
bade ×21 Webster 1828
BADE, the past tense of bid. [See Bid.]
“But when in the morning the dawn began to appear in the east, and the stars grew dim above the mountain peaks, he bade her farewell and journeyed onward over the hills.”
became ×18 Webster 1828
preterit tense of become [See Become.]
“And little by little he grew stronger, and his muscles became like iron bands, and his limbs were like mighty levers for strength.”
hung ×10 Webster 1828
verb transitive preterit tense and participle passive hanged or hung.
1. To suspend; to fasten to some fixed object above, in such a manner as to swing or move; as, to hang a thief. Pharaoh hanged the chief baker. Hence,
2.
“But the tops of the pine trees below it were laden with the bones of unlucky travelers, which hung bleaching white in the sun and wind.”
slippers ×9 Webster 1828
noun
1. A kind of shoe consisting of a sole and vamp without quarters, which may be slipped on with ease and worn in undress; a slip-shoe.
2.
“But the Magic Slippers were faster than any wings, and in a little while the monsters were left far behind, and their cries were heard no more; and Perseus flew on alone.”
sandals ×9 Webster 1828
noun [Latin sandalium; Gr.]
1. A kind of shoe, consisting of a sole fastened to the foot. The Greek and Roman ladies wore sandals made of a rich stuff, ornamented with gold or silver.
2.
“Then they walked down the mountain together and told King Pittheus what had happened, and showed him the sword and the sandals.”
proud ×8 Webster 1828
adjective
1. Having inordinate self-esteem; possessing a high or unreasonable conceit of one's own excellence, either of body or mind.
“But the boy was proud of his skill in flying, and as he looked up at the sun he thought how nice it would be to soar like it high above the clouds in the blue depths of the sky.”
hunters ×8 Webster 1828
noun One who pursues wild animals with a view to take them, either for sport or for food.
1. A dog that scents game, or is employed in the chase.
2. A horse used in the chase.
“Then he sent messengers into all the countries near Calydon, asking the bravest men and skillfullest hunters to come at a certain time and help him hunt and kill the great wild boar.”
sped ×7 Webster 1828
preterit tense and participle passive of speed.
“said Meilanion, and away he sped; but he had the three golden applies in his pocket.”
crevice ×7 Webster 1828
noun [Latin , to burst. See Crepitate and Rip.] A crack; a cleft; a fissure; a rent; an opening; as a crevice in a wall.
CREVICE, verb transitive To crack; to flaw.
“[Illustration: "OUT OF THE YAWNING CREVICE THERE SPRANG A WONDERFUL CREATURE"] "What is his name?"”
dwelt ×6 Webster 1913
1. of
Dwell.
“He said that close by a grove of pine trees, which he would soon pass on his way down the slope, there dwelt a robber named Sinis, who was very cruel to strangers.”
moo ×6 Webster 1913
1. See Mo. 2. To make the noise of a
cow] to low; -- a child's word. 3. The lowing of a
cow.
“She would have thanked him if she could; but when she tried to speak she could only say, "Moo!”
hilltop ×6 Webster 1913
1. The top of a
hill.
“In every house in Athens there was sorrow and dread, and the people lifted up their hands to Athena on the hilltop and cried out, "How long, O Queen of the Air, how long shall this thing be?"”
lyre ×6 Webster 1828
noun [Latin lyra.] A stringed instrument of music, a kind of harp much used by the ancients.
“Upon his shoulder was a silver bow, from his belt hung a quiver of sharp arrows, and in his hands was a golden lyre.”
devoured ×6 Webster 1828
participle passive Eaten; swallowed with greediness; consumed; destroyed; wasted; slain.
“"To be devoured by a monster whom men call the Minotaur,"”
huntress ×6 Webster 1828
noun A female that hunts, or follows the chase. Diana is called the huntress
“She was still the swift-footed huntress, and she was never so happy as when in the green woods wandering among the trees or chasing the wild deer.”
thunderbolts ×5 Webster 1828
noun [thunder and bolt.]
1. A shaft of lightning; a brilliant stream of the electrical fluid, passing from one part of the heavens to another, and particularly from the clouds to the earth. Psalms 78:48.
2.
“Great Jupiter listened to his complaint, and stood up among the storm clouds, and hurled his thunderbolts at AEsculapius until the great physician was cruelly slain.”
thither ×5 Webster 1828
adverb To that place; opposed to hither.
This city is near, O let me escape thither Genesis 19:20.
Where I am, thither ye cannot come. John 7:34.
1.
“Athens was now not more than twenty miles away, but the road thither led through the Parnes Mountains, and was only a narrow path winding among the rocks and up and down many a lonely wooded glen.”
wove ×5 Webster 1828
preterit tense of weave, sometimes the participle.
“And oh, how fine and fair were the things which she wove in her loom!”
fastened ×5 Webster 1828
participle passive Made firm or fast; fixed firmly; impressed.
“Pretty soon, however, the heat of the sun began to melt the wax with which the boy's wings were fastened.”
hearth ×5 Webster 1828
noun harth. A pavement or floor of brick or stone in a chimney, on which a fire is made to warm a room, and from which there is a passage for the smoke to ascend.
“She ran and got the stick and threw it into the fire that was burning on the hearth.”
hither ×4 Webster 1828
adverb
1. To this place; used with verbs signifying motion; as, to come hither; to proceed hither; to bring hither
2. hither and thither, to this place and that.
3. To this point; to this argument or topic; to this end.
“Three years ago he came hither to take part in the games which you held in honor of Athena, whose temple you have built on yonder hilltop.”
hastened ×4 Webster 1828
participle passive Moved rapidly; accelerated; urged with speed.
“Then with a prayer to Athena, Ariadne hastened away.”
lurking ×4 Webster 1828
participle present tense Lying concealed; keeping out of sight.
“There was a scream in mid air which the mountain eagles answered from above; there was a great splashing in the water below, and the turtle fled in terror from its lurking place.”
plow ×4 Webster 1828
noun
1. In agriculture, an instrument for turning up, breaking and preparing the ground for receiving the seed.
“He hid himself behind his plow and then began to throw stones at them.”
pitiless ×4 Webster 1828
adjective Destitute of pity; hardhearted; applied to persons; as a pitiless master.
1. Exciting no pity; as a pitiless state.
“the Theseus who has rid the world of the mountain robbers, and of Cercyon the wrestler, and of Procrustes, the pitiless Stretcher?"”
nymphs ×4 Webster 1828
noun
1. In mythology, a goddess of the mountains, forests, meadows and waters. According to the ancients, all the world was full of nymphs, some terrestrial, others celestial; and these had names assigned to them according to the…
“When the sea nymphs heard about this, they were very angry and asked great Neptune, the king of the sea, to punish the queen for her pride.”
gadfly ×4 Webster 1828
noun An insect of the genus Oestrus, which stings cattle, and deposits its eggs in their skin; called also the breeze.
“He killed the cruel gadfly and threw it into the river.”
spindle ×4 Webster 1828
adjective [See Spin.]
1. The pin used in spinning wheels for twisting the thread, and on which the thread when twisted, is wound.
2. A slender pointed rod or pin on which any thing turn; as the spindle of a vane.
3.
“And yet, since you will never be happy unless you can spin and weave, I will give you a new form so that you can carry on your work with neither spindle nor loom."”
lair ×4 Webster 1828
noun [Latin locus.]
1. A place of rest; the bed or couch of a boar or wild beast.
2. Pasture; the ground.
“Soon they started a lion from its lair and gave chase to it.”
stead ×4 Webster 1828
STED, noun [G. See Stay.]
1. Place; in general.
Fly this fearful stead
[In this sense not used.]
2. Place or room which another had or might have, noting substitution, replacing or filling the place of another, as, David died an…
“The very next morning, AEgeus sent out his heralds, to make it known through all the city that Theseus was his son, and that he would in time be king in his stead.”
seashore ×4 Webster 1913
1. The coast of the sea; the land that lies adjacent to the sea or
ocean. 2. All the ground between the
ordinary high-water and low-water marks.
“Here, as he looked down, a strange sight met his eyes: he saw a beautiful girl chained to a rock by the seashore, and far away a huge sea beast swimming towards her to devour her.”
gushed ×4 Webster 1828
verb intransitive
1. To issue with violence and rapidity, as a fluid; to rush forth as a fluid from confinement; as, blood gushes from a vein in venesection.
Behold, he smote the rock, that the waters gushed out.
“A great stream of blood gushed from the wound, and soon the Minotaur turned his face towards the sky and was dead.”
furrows ×4 Webster 1828
noun [Gr. to plow.]
1. A trench in the earth made by a plow.
2. A long narrow trench or channel in wood or metal; a groove.
3. A hollow made by wrinkles in the face.
FUR'ROW, verb transitive
1.
“In a little while the soil in the furrows began to stir.”
naught ×4 Webster 1828
noun Nothing.
Doth Job serve God for naught? Job 1:9.
Thou sellest thy people for naught Psalms 44:12.
To set at naught to slight, to disregard or despise.
Ye have set at naught all my counsel.
“But it had no sooner touched the ground than the land cried out: "I will have naught to do with so vile a wretch!"”
shrieked ×4 Modern
1. (adjective) uttered in a shrill scream as of pain or terror
“The seven maidens shrieked, but tried to stand up bravely and face their fate; and the six young men stood together with firm-set teeth and clinched fists, ready to fight to the last.”
tusks ×4 Webster 1828
noun The long pointed tooth of certain rapacious, carnivorous or fighting animals; as the tusks of the boar.
TUSK, verb intransitive To gnash the teeth, as a boar.
“But that only made the beast fiercer than ever; he charged upon the warrior, caught him before he could save himself, and tore him in pieces with his tusks.”
strode ×4 Webster 1828
STRODE noun A stock of breeding mares.
“But Theseus strode boldly through the feast hall and went about the palace asking for the king.”
silken ×4 Webster 1828
adjective silk'n.
1. Made of silk; as silken cloth; a silken vail.
2. Like silk; soft to the touch.
3. Soft; delicate; tender; smooth; as mild and silken language.
4.
“And Cercyon, as he looked at the young man's sharp eyes and his fair face and silken hair, had half a mind to bid him go in peace and seek not to test his strength and skill.”
hurl ×3 Webster 1828
verb transitive
1. To throw with violence; to drive with great force; as, to hurl a stone.
And hurl them headlong to their fleet and main.
2. To utter with vehemence; as, to hurl out vows. [Not in use.]
3.
“Then the men of Eleusis who stood watching the contest, saw the youth lift the giant king bodily into the air and hurl him headlong over his shoulder to the hard pavement beyond.”
trembled ×3 Webster 1828
verb intransitive [Latin tremo.]
1. To shake involuntarily, as with fear, cold or weakness; to quake; to quiver; to shiver; to shudder.
Frighted Turnus trembled as he spoke.
2.
“The face of King AEgeus lost all its color and he trembled as he thought of a little child then with its mother at Troezen, on the other side of the Saronic Sea.”
pale-faced ×3 Webster 1828
adjective Having a pale or wan face.
1. Causing paleness of face; as pale-faced fear.
“As time went by, AEsculapius cured so many people and saved so many lives that Pluto, the pale-faced king of the Lower World, became alarmed.”
cheerless ×3 Webster 1828
adjective Without joy, gladness, or comfort; gloomy; destitute of any thing to enliven or animate the spirits.
“When she died and left her body, the Shadow Leader, who knows no pity, led her, as he led all others, to the cheerless halls of Proserpine, the queen of the Lower World.”
skillful ×3 Webster 1828
adjective
1. Knowing; well versed in any art; hence, dextrous; able in management; able to perform nicely any manual operation in the arts or professions; as a skillful mechanic; a skillful operator in surgery.
2.
“While Athens was still only a small city there lived within its walls a man named Daedalus who was the most skillful worker in wood and stone and metal that had ever been known.”
oftentimes ×3 Webster 1828
adverb of'ntimes. [often and times.] Frequently; often; many times.
“For oftentimes he would go down into the valleys where the shepherds fed their flocks, and would carry off not only sheep and lambs, but sometimes children and the men themselves.”
springtime ×3 Webster 1913
1. The season of
spring; springtide.
“The springtime lasted all the year.”
hurled ×3 Webster 1828
participle passive Thrown with violence.
“Great Jupiter listened to his complaint, and stood up among the storm clouds, and hurled his thunderbolts at AEsculapius until the great physician was cruelly slain.”
timid ×3 Webster 1828
adjective [Latin timidus, from timeo, to fear.] Fearful; wanting courage to meet danger; timorous; not bold.
Poor is the triumph o'er the timid hare.
“But it was not the fair, timid Daphne that he caught in his arms; it was the trunk of a laurel tree, its green leaves trembling in the breeze.”
prison-house ×3 Webster 1828
noun A house in which prisoners are confined; a jail. Judges 16:1.
“"Well, I will punish him in a way that will make him wish I had shut him up in the prison-house with his kinsfolk.”
dreary ×3 Webster 1828
adjective
1. Dismal; gloomy; as a dreary waste; dreary shades. This word implies both solitude and gloom.
2. Sorrowful; distressing; as dreary shrieks.
“Perseus heard them mumbling and crooning in their dreary home, and he stood very still and listened.”
southward ×3 Webster 1828
adverb suth'ard. Towards the south; as, to go southward
SOUTHWARD, noun suth'ard. The southern regions or countries.
“Day after day the little vessel sailed slowly southward, keeping the shore of the mainland always upon the right.”
hasten ×3 Webster 1828
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“Far below him he could see the three Maidens dancing around the golden tree; but he did not stop, for, now that he had the head of Medusa safe in the pouch at his side, he must hasten home.”
watchman ×3 Webster 1828
noun [watch and man.] A sentinel; a guard.
“But Juno had seen him kill her watchman, and she met him on the road.”
flax ×3 Webster 1828
noun
1. A plant of the genus Linum, consisting of a single slender stalk, the skin or herl of which is used for making thread and cloth, called linen, cambric, lawn, lace, etc.
“Her name was Clotho, and she held a distaff full of flax, from which she was spinning a golden thread.”
woof ×3 Webster 1828
noun [Gr.]
1. The threads that cross the warp in weaving; the weft.
2. Texture; cloth; as a pall of softest woof
“And they said that cloth so rare could not be made of flax, or wool, or silk, but that the warp was of rays of sunlight and the woof was of threads of gold.”
distaff ×3 Webster 1828
noun
1. The staff of a spinning-wheel, to which a bunch of flax or tow is tied, and from which the thread is drawn.
She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff Proverbs 31:19.
2.
“Her name was Clotho, and she held a distaff full of flax, from which she was spinning a golden thread.”
sunbeams ×3 Webster 1828
noun [sun and beam.] A ray of the sun. Truth written with a sunbeam is truth made obviously plain.
Gliding through the even on a sunbeam
SUN'-BEAT, adjective [sun and beat.] Struck by the sun's rays; shone brightly on.
“His face was as bright as sunbeams, and his eyes gleamed like lightning.”
alighted ×3 Webster 1828
verb intransitive
1. To get down or descend, as from on horseback or from a carriage.
2. To descend and settle; as, a flying bird alights on a tree.
3. To fall or descend and lodge; as, snow alights on a roof.
“They flew up to the top of the king's palace, and then they sailed away over the walls of the city and alighted on the top of a hill.”
beggar ×3 Webster 1828
noun [See Beg.] One that lives by asking alms, or makes it his business to beg for charity.
1. One who supplicates with humility; a petitioner; but in this sense rarely used, as the word has become a term of contempt.
2.
“he said, "I am the poor beggar whom you fed--your slave to whom you were so kind.”
kindred ×3 Webster 1828
noun [from kin, kind.]
1. Relation by birth; consanguinity.
Like her, of equal kindred to the throne.
2. Relation by marriage; affinity.
3.
“It was the custom at that time for people to avenge the death of their kindred, and her only thought was how to punish the murderer of her brothers.”
grassy ×3 Webster 1828
adjective Covered with grass; abounding with grass.
1. Resembling grass; green.
“She stood a moment on a green grassy plot where the children of the town liked to play in the evening.”
vexed ×3 Webster 1828
participle passive Teased; provoked; irritated; troubled; agitated; disquieted; afflicted.
“All this vexed Meleager, and he tried to make his uncles give back the spear and the prize, and stop their unmannerly talk.”
cavern ×3 Webster 1828
noun A deep hollow place in the earth. In general, it differs from cave in greater depth, and in being applied most usually to natural hollows, or chasms.
Earth with its caverns dark and deep.
“Perseus laughed as he stood in the door of their cavern and saw their distress and terror.”
quoit ×3 Webster 1828
noun
1. A kind of horse shoe to be pitched or thrown at a fixed object in play. In common practice, a plain flat stone is used for this purpose.
2.
“One day, as he was showing what he could do, he threw a heavy quoit a great deal farther than any had been thrown before.”
twigs ×3 Webster 1828
noun [Latin vigeo, with a prefix.] A small shoot or branch of a tree or other plant, of no definite length or size.
The Britons had boats made of willow twigs, covered on the outside with hides.
“And when everything was ready, King OEneus gave the word, and fire was touched to the grass and the twigs upon the altars; and the grapes and the wheat that had been laid there were burned up.”
hiding-place ×3 Webster 1828
noun A place of concealment.
“And the vine leaves closed over her hiding-place.”
footpath ×3 Webster 1828
noun A narrow path or way for foot passengers only.
“The hill was so steep on every side that there was no way of climbing it save by a single narrow footpath which was always guarded by some one at the top.”
lithe ×3 Webster 1828
adjective That may be easily bent; pliant; flexible; limber; as the elephant's lithe proboscis.
LITHE, verb transitive
1. To smooth; to soften; to palliate. obsolete
2. To listen. obsolete
“His body was so slender and lithe, and he moved so nimbly among the trees, that they fancied him to be a serpent in the guise of a human being; and they stood still in wonder and alarm.”
wretch ×3 Webster 1828
noun
1. A miserable person; one sunk in the deepest distress; as a forlorn wretch
2. A worthless mortal; as a contemptible wretch
3. A person sunk in vice; as a profligate wretch
4.
“and he went out of the room, and left the wretch to perish by his own cruel device.”
headlong ×3 Webster 1828
adverb hed'long. With the head foremost; as, to fall headlong
1. Rashly; precipitately; without deliberation.
--He hurries headlong to his fate.
2. Hastily; without delay or respite.
HEADLONG, adjective hed'long.
“Daedalus turned just in time to see Icarus fall headlong into the waves.”
fasten ×3 Webster 1828
verb transitive f'asn.
1. To fix firmly; to make fast or close; as, to fasten a chain to the feet, or to fasten the feet with fetters.
2. To lock, bolt or bar; to secure; as, to fasten a door or window.
3.
“"As soon as you go into the Labyrinth where the monster is kept, fasten one end of the thread to the stone doorpost, and then unwind it as you go along.”
flitted ×2 Webster 1828
verb intransitive [Heb. It is undoubtedly from the same root as fleet, which see.]
1. To fly away with a rapid motion; to dart along; to move with celerity through the air.
“While he was yet whirling through mid-air she changed him into a partridge, and he flitted away to the hills to live forever in the woods and fields which he loved so well.”
flowery ×2 Webster 1828
adjective
1. Full of flowers; abounding with blossoms; as a flowery field.
2. Adorned with artificial flowers, or the figures of blossoms.
3. Richly embellished with figurative language; florid; as a flowery style.
“They flitted away through the air, and over the mountains, and across the sea, to a flowery land in the distant west.”
shivering ×2 Webster 1828
participle present tense
1. Breaking or dashing into small pieces.
2. Quaking; trembling; shaking, as with cold or fear.
SHIV'ERING, noun
1. The act of breaking or dashing to pieces; division; severance.
2.
“He called some of the shivering men from their caves and built a fire for them, and showed them how to warm themselves by it and how to build other fires from the coals.”
pith ×2 Webster 1828
noun
1. The soft spungy substance in the center of plants and trees.
2. In animals, the spinal marrow.
3. Strength or force.
4. Energy; cogency; concentrated force; closeness and vigor of thought and style.
5.
“He touched the end of the long reed to the flames, and the dry pith caught on fire and burned slowly.”
ripening ×2 Modern
1. (noun) coming to full development 2. (noun) acquiring desirable qualities by being left undisturbed for some time
“But one day, when he chanced to look down upon the earth, he saw the fires burning, and the people living in houses, and the flocks feeding on the hills, and the grain ripening in the fields, and this made him very angry.”
kinsfolk ×2 Webster 1828
noun [kin and folk.] Relations; kindred; persons of the same family.
“Apollo did not care to live much of the time with his mighty kinsfolk on the mountain top.”
puny ×2 Webster 1828
adjective
1. Properly, young or younger; but in this sense not used.
2. Inferior; petty; of an under rate; small and feeble.
“Several threatened to go home at once; and two brothers of Queen Althea, rude, unmannerly fellows, loudly declared that the hunt was for heroes and not for puny girls.”
bidden ×2 Webster 1913
1. p. p. of
Bid.
“The servants did as they were bidden, and carried the eagles to the outermost edges of the world.”
lifeless ×2 Webster 1828
adjective
1. Dead; deprived of life; as a lifeless body.
2. Destitute of life; unanimated; as lifeless matter.
3. Destitute of power, force, vigor or spirit; dull; heavy; inactive.
4. Void of spirit; vapid; as liquor.
5.
“But when he went into her room, he saw her lying lifeless on her couch, and he knew at once that she had died for him.”
nestled ×2 Modern
1. (adjective) drawn or pressed close to someone or something for or as if for affection or protection
flitting ×2 Webster 1828
participle present tense Flying rapidly; fluttering; moving swiftly.
FLIT'TING, noun A flying with lightness and celerity; a fluttering.
“Arachne had set up her loom in the shade of a mulberry tree, where butterflies were flitting and grasshoppers chirping all through the livelong day.”
befriended ×2 Webster 1828
participle passive Favored; countenanced.
“There were men in the town whom he had befriended and who owed their lives to him; they would have done everything else for him, but this thing they would not do.”
disobey ×2 Webster 1828
verb transitive [dis and obey.] To neglect or refuse to obey; to omit or refuse to do what is commanded, or to do what is forbid; to transgress or violate an order or injunction.
“The child stretched out its baby hands towards him and smiled, but he turned away and left it there, for he did not dare to disobey the king.”
far-off ×2 Webster 1913
1. Remote] as, the
far-off distance. Cf. Far-off, under Far,
adv.
“She did not know who he was, but thought that he was a prince from some far-off land; for he came in the guise of a young man, and did not look like the great king of earth and sky that he was.”
bide ×2 Webster 1828
verb intransitive To dwell; to inhabit.
1. To remain; to continue or be permanent, in a place or state. [Nearly antiquated.]
BIDE, verb transitive To endure; to suffer. [See Abide.]
“said he, "I bide the time in patience, for I know that one of those heroes will break my chains and set me free.”