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Dragon's Blood
Dragon's Blood

Chapter VIII

Cover illustration for Dragon's Blood
Context Illustration Reading 1/47 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE HOT NIGHT Rudolph paced his long chamber like a wolf,--a wolf in summer, with too thick a coat.
In sweat of body and heat of mind, he crossed from window to window, unable to halt.
A faintly sour smell of parched things, oppressing the night without breath or motion, was like an interminable presence, irritating, poisonous.
The punkah, too, flapped incessant, and only made the lamp gutter.
Broad leaves outside shone in mockery of snow; and like snow the stifled river lay in the moonlight, where the wet muzzles of buffaloes glistened, floating like knots on sunken logs, or the snouts of crocodiles.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Dragon's Blood

Chapter VIII

Reading 1/47 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE HOT NIGHT Rudolph paced his long chamber like a wolf,--a wolf in summer, with too thick a coat.
Line 2
In sweat of body and heat of mind, he crossed from window to window, unable to halt.
Line 3
A faintly sour smell of parched things, oppressing the night without breath or motion, was like an interminable presence, irritating, poisonous.
Line 4
The punkah, too, flapped incessant, and only made the lamp gutter.
Line 5
Broad leaves outside shone in mockery of snow; and like snow the stifled river lay in the moonlight, where the wet muzzles of buffaloes glistened, floating like knots on sunken logs, or the snouts of crocodiles.

Learner Dictionary

Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.

Body noun US /body/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “In sweat of body and heat of mind, he crossed from window to window, unable to halt.”

Long noun US /long/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “THE HOT NIGHT Rudolph paced his long chamber like a wolf,--a wolf in summer, with too thick a coat.”

Mind noun US /mind/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “In sweat of body and heat of mind, he crossed from window to window, unable to halt.”

Outside noun US /ˈoutside/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading “Broad leaves outside shone in mockery of snow; and like snow the stifled river lay in the moonlight, where the wet muzzles of buffaloes glistened, floating like knots on sunken logs, or the snouts of crocodiles.”

Without preposition US /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading “A faintly sour smell of parched things, oppressing the night without breath or motion, was like an interminable presence, irritating, poisonous.”

All words in this reading · 75

Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

adeterminerUS /ə/

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

From this reading THE HOT NIGHT Rudolph paced his long chamber like a wolf,--a wolf in summer, with too thick a coat.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading A faintly sour smell of parched things, oppressing the night without breath or motion, was like an interminable presence, irritating, poisonous.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading In sweat of body and heat of mind, he crossed from window to window, unable to halt.

bodynounUS /body/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading In sweat of body and heat of mind, he crossed from window to window, unable to halt.

breath

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

From this reading A faintly sour smell of parched things, oppressing the night without breath or motion, was like an interminable presence, irritating, poisonous.

Broad

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

From this reading Broad leaves outside shone in mockery of snow; and like snow the stifled river lay in the moonlight, where the wet muzzles of buffaloes glistened, floating like knots on sunken logs, or the snouts of crocodiles.

buffaloes

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

From this reading Broad leaves outside shone in mockery of snow; and like snow the stifled river lay in the moonlight, where the wet muzzles of buffaloes glistened, floating like knots on sunken logs, or the snouts of crocodiles.

chamber

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

From this reading THE HOT NIGHT Rudolph paced his long chamber like a wolf,--a wolf in summer, with too thick a coat.

coat

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

From this reading THE HOT NIGHT Rudolph paced his long chamber like a wolf,--a wolf in summer, with too thick a coat.

crocodiles

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

From this reading Broad leaves outside shone in mockery of snow; and like snow the stifled river lay in the moonlight, where the wet muzzles of buffaloes glistened, floating like knots on sunken logs, or the snouts of crocodiles.

crossed

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

From this reading In sweat of body and heat of mind, he crossed from window to window, unable to halt.

faintly

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

From this reading A faintly sour smell of parched things, oppressing the night without breath or motion, was like an interminable presence, irritating, poisonous.

flapped

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

From this reading The punkah, too, flapped incessant, and only made the lamp gutter.

floating

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

From this reading Broad leaves outside shone in mockery of snow; and like snow the stifled river lay in the moonlight, where the wet muzzles of buffaloes glistened, floating like knots on sunken logs, or the snouts of crocodiles.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading In sweat of body and heat of mind, he crossed from window to window, unable to halt.

glistened

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

From this reading Broad leaves outside shone in mockery of snow; and like snow the stifled river lay in the moonlight, where the wet muzzles of buffaloes glistened, floating like knots on sunken logs, or the snouts of crocodiles.

gutter

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

From this reading The punkah, too, flapped incessant, and only made the lamp gutter.

halt

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

From this reading In sweat of body and heat of mind, he crossed from window to window, unable to halt.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading In sweat of body and heat of mind, he crossed from window to window, unable to halt.

heat

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

From this reading In sweat of body and heat of mind, he crossed from window to window, unable to halt.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading THE HOT NIGHT Rudolph paced his long chamber like a wolf,--a wolf in summer, with too thick a coat.

HOT

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

From this reading THE HOT NIGHT Rudolph paced his long chamber like a wolf,--a wolf in summer, with too thick a coat.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading THE HOT NIGHT Rudolph paced his long chamber like a wolf,--a wolf in summer, with too thick a coat.

incessant

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

From this reading The punkah, too, flapped incessant, and only made the lamp gutter.

interminable

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

From this reading A faintly sour smell of parched things, oppressing the night without breath or motion, was like an interminable presence, irritating, poisonous.

irritating

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

From this reading A faintly sour smell of parched things, oppressing the night without breath or motion, was like an interminable presence, irritating, poisonous.

knots

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

From this reading Broad leaves outside shone in mockery of snow; and like snow the stifled river lay in the moonlight, where the wet muzzles of buffaloes glistened, floating like knots on sunken logs, or the snouts of crocodiles.

lamp

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

From this reading The punkah, too, flapped incessant, and only made the lamp gutter.

lay

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

From this reading Broad leaves outside shone in mockery of snow; and like snow the stifled river lay in the moonlight, where the wet muzzles of buffaloes glistened, floating like knots on sunken logs, or the snouts of crocodiles.

leaves

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

From this reading Broad leaves outside shone in mockery of snow; and like snow the stifled river lay in the moonlight, where the wet muzzles of buffaloes glistened, floating like knots on sunken logs, or the snouts of crocodiles.

like

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

From this reading THE HOT NIGHT Rudolph paced his long chamber like a wolf,--a wolf in summer, with too thick a coat.

logs

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

From this reading Broad leaves outside shone in mockery of snow; and like snow the stifled river lay in the moonlight, where the wet muzzles of buffaloes glistened, floating like knots on sunken logs, or the snouts of crocodiles.

longnounUS /long/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading THE HOT NIGHT Rudolph paced his long chamber like a wolf,--a wolf in summer, with too thick a coat.

made

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

From this reading The punkah, too, flapped incessant, and only made the lamp gutter.

mindnounUS /mind/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading In sweat of body and heat of mind, he crossed from window to window, unable to halt.

mockery

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

From this reading Broad leaves outside shone in mockery of snow; and like snow the stifled river lay in the moonlight, where the wet muzzles of buffaloes glistened, floating like knots on sunken logs, or the snouts of crocodiles.

moonlight

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

From this reading Broad leaves outside shone in mockery of snow; and like snow the stifled river lay in the moonlight, where the wet muzzles of buffaloes glistened, floating like knots on sunken logs, or the snouts of crocodiles.

motion

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

From this reading A faintly sour smell of parched things, oppressing the night without breath or motion, was like an interminable presence, irritating, poisonous.

muzzles

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

From this reading Broad leaves outside shone in mockery of snow; and like snow the stifled river lay in the moonlight, where the wet muzzles of buffaloes glistened, floating like knots on sunken logs, or the snouts of crocodiles.

NIGHT

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

From this reading THE HOT NIGHT Rudolph paced his long chamber like a wolf,--a wolf in summer, with too thick a coat.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading In sweat of body and heat of mind, he crossed from window to window, unable to halt.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Broad leaves outside shone in mockery of snow; and like snow the stifled river lay in the moonlight, where the wet muzzles of buffaloes glistened, floating like knots on sunken logs, or the snouts of crocodiles.

only

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

From this reading The punkah, too, flapped incessant, and only made the lamp gutter.

oppressing

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

From this reading A faintly sour smell of parched things, oppressing the night without breath or motion, was like an interminable presence, irritating, poisonous.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading A faintly sour smell of parched things, oppressing the night without breath or motion, was like an interminable presence, irritating, poisonous.

outsidenounUS /ˈoutside/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading Broad leaves outside shone in mockery of snow; and like snow the stifled river lay in the moonlight, where the wet muzzles of buffaloes glistened, floating like knots on sunken logs, or the snouts of crocodiles.

paced

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

From this reading THE HOT NIGHT Rudolph paced his long chamber like a wolf,--a wolf in summer, with too thick a coat.

parched

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

From this reading A faintly sour smell of parched things, oppressing the night without breath or motion, was like an interminable presence, irritating, poisonous.

poisonous

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

From this reading A faintly sour smell of parched things, oppressing the night without breath or motion, was like an interminable presence, irritating, poisonous.

presence

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

From this reading A faintly sour smell of parched things, oppressing the night without breath or motion, was like an interminable presence, irritating, poisonous.

punkah

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

From this reading The punkah, too, flapped incessant, and only made the lamp gutter.

river

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

From this reading Broad leaves outside shone in mockery of snow; and like snow the stifled river lay in the moonlight, where the wet muzzles of buffaloes glistened, floating like knots on sunken logs, or the snouts of crocodiles.

Rudolph

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

From this reading THE HOT NIGHT Rudolph paced his long chamber like a wolf,--a wolf in summer, with too thick a coat.

shone

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

From this reading Broad leaves outside shone in mockery of snow; and like snow the stifled river lay in the moonlight, where the wet muzzles of buffaloes glistened, floating like knots on sunken logs, or the snouts of crocodiles.

smell

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

From this reading A faintly sour smell of parched things, oppressing the night without breath or motion, was like an interminable presence, irritating, poisonous.

snouts

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

From this reading Broad leaves outside shone in mockery of snow; and like snow the stifled river lay in the moonlight, where the wet muzzles of buffaloes glistened, floating like knots on sunken logs, or the snouts of crocodiles.

snow

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

From this reading Broad leaves outside shone in mockery of snow; and like snow the stifled river lay in the moonlight, where the wet muzzles of buffaloes glistened, floating like knots on sunken logs, or the snouts of crocodiles.

sour

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

From this reading A faintly sour smell of parched things, oppressing the night without breath or motion, was like an interminable presence, irritating, poisonous.

stifled

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

From this reading Broad leaves outside shone in mockery of snow; and like snow the stifled river lay in the moonlight, where the wet muzzles of buffaloes glistened, floating like knots on sunken logs, or the snouts of crocodiles.

summer

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

From this reading THE HOT NIGHT Rudolph paced his long chamber like a wolf,--a wolf in summer, with too thick a coat.

sunken

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

From this reading Broad leaves outside shone in mockery of snow; and like snow the stifled river lay in the moonlight, where the wet muzzles of buffaloes glistened, floating like knots on sunken logs, or the snouts of crocodiles.

sweat

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

From this reading In sweat of body and heat of mind, he crossed from window to window, unable to halt.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE HOT NIGHT Rudolph paced his long chamber like a wolf,--a wolf in summer, with too thick a coat.

thick

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

From this reading THE HOT NIGHT Rudolph paced his long chamber like a wolf,--a wolf in summer, with too thick a coat.

things

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

From this reading A faintly sour smell of parched things, oppressing the night without breath or motion, was like an interminable presence, irritating, poisonous.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading In sweat of body and heat of mind, he crossed from window to window, unable to halt.

too

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

From this reading THE HOT NIGHT Rudolph paced his long chamber like a wolf,--a wolf in summer, with too thick a coat.

unable

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

From this reading In sweat of body and heat of mind, he crossed from window to window, unable to halt.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading A faintly sour smell of parched things, oppressing the night without breath or motion, was like an interminable presence, irritating, poisonous.

wet

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

From this reading Broad leaves outside shone in mockery of snow; and like snow the stifled river lay in the moonlight, where the wet muzzles of buffaloes glistened, floating like knots on sunken logs, or the snouts of crocodiles.

whereconjunctionUS /wer/

in or at the place that

From this reading Broad leaves outside shone in mockery of snow; and like snow the stifled river lay in the moonlight, where the wet muzzles of buffaloes glistened, floating like knots on sunken logs, or the snouts of crocodiles.

window

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

From this reading In sweat of body and heat of mind, he crossed from window to window, unable to halt.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading THE HOT NIGHT Rudolph paced his long chamber like a wolf,--a wolf in summer, with too thick a coat.

withoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading A faintly sour smell of parched things, oppressing the night without breath or motion, was like an interminable presence, irritating, poisonous.

wolf

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

From this reading THE HOT NIGHT Rudolph paced his long chamber like a wolf,--a wolf in summer, with too thick a coat.