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The Magic Skin
The Magic Skin

Chapter III

Cover illustration for The Magic Skin
Context Illustration Reading 1/33 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
At the sacred names of Christ and Raphael the young man showed some curiosity.
The merchant, who no doubt looked for this, pressed a spring, and suddenly the mahogany panel slid noiselessly back in its groove, and discovered the canvas to the stranger’s admiring gaze.
At sight of this deathless creation, he forgot his fancies in the show-rooms and the freaks of his dreams, and became himself again.
The old man became a being of flesh and blood, very much alive, with nothing chimerical about him, and took up his existence at once upon solid earth.
The sympathy and love, and the gentle serenity in the divine face, exerted an instant sway over the younger spectator.
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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.

The Magic Skin

Chapter III

Reading 1/33 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
At the sacred names of Christ and Raphael the young man showed some curiosity.
Line 2
The merchant, who no doubt looked for this, pressed a spring, and suddenly the mahogany panel slid noiselessly back in its groove, and discovered the canvas to the stranger’s admiring gaze.
Line 3
At sight of this deathless creation, he forgot his fancies in the show-rooms and the freaks of his dreams, and became himself again.
Line 4
The old man became a being of flesh and blood, very much alive, with nothing chimerical about him, and took up his existence at once upon solid earth.
Line 5
The sympathy and love, and the gentle serenity in the divine face, exerted an instant sway over the younger spectator.

Learner Dictionary

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

About preposition US /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading “The old man became a being of flesh and blood, very much alive, with nothing chimerical about him, and took up his existence at once upon solid earth.”

Again noun US /again/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “At sight of this deathless creation, he forgot his fancies in the show-rooms and the freaks of his dreams, and became himself again.”

Being auxiliary verb US /ˈbiːɪŋ/

the -ing form of “be”

From this reading “The old man became a being of flesh and blood, very much alive, with nothing chimerical about him, and took up his existence at once upon solid earth.”

Blood noun US /blood/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The old man became a being of flesh and blood, very much alive, with nothing chimerical about him, and took up his existence at once upon solid earth.”

Himself pronoun US /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading “At sight of this deathless creation, he forgot his fancies in the show-rooms and the freaks of his dreams, and became himself again.”

Looked noun US /looked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The merchant, who no doubt looked for this, pressed a spring, and suddenly the mahogany panel slid noiselessly back in its groove, and discovered the canvas to the stranger’s admiring gaze.”

Merchant noun US /ˈmɜːr.tʃənt/

A person or company involved in wholesale trade, especially with foreign countries.

From this reading “The merchant, who no doubt looked for this, pressed a spring, and suddenly the mahogany panel slid noiselessly back in its groove, and discovered the canvas to the stranger’s admiring gaze.”

Nothing pronoun US /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading “The old man became a being of flesh and blood, very much alive, with nothing chimerical about him, and took up his existence at once upon solid earth.”

Once noun US /once/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The old man became a being of flesh and blood, very much alive, with nothing chimerical about him, and took up his existence at once upon solid earth.”

Over preposition US /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading “The sympathy and love, and the gentle serenity in the divine face, exerted an instant sway over the younger spectator.”

Serenity noun US /səˈren.ə.t̬i/

The state of being calm, peaceful, and untroubled by external storms.

From this reading “The sympathy and love, and the gentle serenity in the divine face, exerted an instant sway over the younger spectator.”

Suddenly noun US /ˈsuddenly/

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

From this reading “The merchant, who no doubt looked for this, pressed a spring, and suddenly the mahogany panel slid noiselessly back in its groove, and discovered the canvas to the stranger’s admiring gaze.”

Took noun US /took/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The old man became a being of flesh and blood, very much alive, with nothing chimerical about him, and took up his existence at once upon solid earth.”

Upon preposition US /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading “The old man became a being of flesh and blood, very much alive, with nothing chimerical about him, and took up his existence at once upon solid earth.”

All words in this reading · 83

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 merchant, who no doubt looked for this, pressed a spring, and suddenly the mahogany panel slid noiselessly back in its groove, and discovered the canvas to the stranger’s admiring gaze.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading The old man became a being of flesh and blood, very much alive, with nothing chimerical about him, and took up his existence at once upon solid earth.

admiring

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

From this reading The merchant, who no doubt looked for this, pressed a spring, and suddenly the mahogany panel slid noiselessly back in its groove, and discovered the canvas to the stranger’s admiring gaze.

againnounUS /again/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading At sight of this deathless creation, he forgot his fancies in the show-rooms and the freaks of his dreams, and became himself again.

alive

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

From this reading The old man became a being of flesh and blood, very much alive, with nothing chimerical about him, and took up his existence at once upon solid earth.

andeterminerUS /æn/

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

From this reading The sympathy and love, and the gentle serenity in the divine face, exerted an instant sway over the younger spectator.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading At the sacred names of Christ and Raphael the young man showed some curiosity.

AtprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading At the sacred names of Christ and Raphael the young man showed some curiosity.

back

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

From this reading The merchant, who no doubt looked for this, pressed a spring, and suddenly the mahogany panel slid noiselessly back in its groove, and discovered the canvas to the stranger’s admiring gaze.

became

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

From this reading At sight of this deathless creation, he forgot his fancies in the show-rooms and the freaks of his dreams, and became himself again.

beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/

the -ing form of “be”

From this reading The old man became a being of flesh and blood, very much alive, with nothing chimerical about him, and took up his existence at once upon solid earth.

bloodnounUS /blood/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The old man became a being of flesh and blood, very much alive, with nothing chimerical about him, and took up his existence at once upon solid earth.

canvas

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

From this reading The merchant, who no doubt looked for this, pressed a spring, and suddenly the mahogany panel slid noiselessly back in its groove, and discovered the canvas to the stranger’s admiring gaze.

chimerical

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

From this reading The old man became a being of flesh and blood, very much alive, with nothing chimerical about him, and took up his existence at once upon solid earth.

Christ

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

From this reading At the sacred names of Christ and Raphael the young man showed some curiosity.

creation

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

From this reading At sight of this deathless creation, he forgot his fancies in the show-rooms and the freaks of his dreams, and became himself again.

curiosity

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

From this reading At the sacred names of Christ and Raphael the young man showed some curiosity.

deathless

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

From this reading At sight of this deathless creation, he forgot his fancies in the show-rooms and the freaks of his dreams, and became himself again.

discovered

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

From this reading The merchant, who no doubt looked for this, pressed a spring, and suddenly the mahogany panel slid noiselessly back in its groove, and discovered the canvas to the stranger’s admiring gaze.

divine

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

From this reading The sympathy and love, and the gentle serenity in the divine face, exerted an instant sway over the younger spectator.

doubt

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

From this reading The merchant, who no doubt looked for this, pressed a spring, and suddenly the mahogany panel slid noiselessly back in its groove, and discovered the canvas to the stranger’s admiring gaze.

dreams

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

From this reading At sight of this deathless creation, he forgot his fancies in the show-rooms and the freaks of his dreams, and became himself again.

earth

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

From this reading The old man became a being of flesh and blood, very much alive, with nothing chimerical about him, and took up his existence at once upon solid earth.

exerted

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

From this reading The sympathy and love, and the gentle serenity in the divine face, exerted an instant sway over the younger spectator.

existence

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

From this reading The old man became a being of flesh and blood, very much alive, with nothing chimerical about him, and took up his existence at once upon solid earth.

face

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

From this reading The sympathy and love, and the gentle serenity in the divine face, exerted an instant sway over the younger spectator.

fancies

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

From this reading At sight of this deathless creation, he forgot his fancies in the show-rooms and the freaks of his dreams, and became himself again.

flesh

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

From this reading The old man became a being of flesh and blood, very much alive, with nothing chimerical about him, and took up his existence at once upon solid earth.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading The merchant, who no doubt looked for this, pressed a spring, and suddenly the mahogany panel slid noiselessly back in its groove, and discovered the canvas to the stranger’s admiring gaze.

forgot

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

From this reading At sight of this deathless creation, he forgot his fancies in the show-rooms and the freaks of his dreams, and became himself again.

freaks

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

From this reading At sight of this deathless creation, he forgot his fancies in the show-rooms and the freaks of his dreams, and became himself again.

gaze

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

From this reading The merchant, who no doubt looked for this, pressed a spring, and suddenly the mahogany panel slid noiselessly back in its groove, and discovered the canvas to the stranger’s admiring gaze.

gentle

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

From this reading The sympathy and love, and the gentle serenity in the divine face, exerted an instant sway over the younger spectator.

groove

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

From this reading The merchant, who no doubt looked for this, pressed a spring, and suddenly the mahogany panel slid noiselessly back in its groove, and discovered the canvas to the stranger’s admiring gaze.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading At sight of this deathless creation, he forgot his fancies in the show-rooms and the freaks of his dreams, and became himself again.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading The old man became a being of flesh and blood, very much alive, with nothing chimerical about him, and took up his existence at once upon solid earth.

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading At sight of this deathless creation, he forgot his fancies in the show-rooms and the freaks of his dreams, and became himself again.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading At sight of this deathless creation, he forgot his fancies in the show-rooms and the freaks of his dreams, and became himself again.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading The merchant, who no doubt looked for this, pressed a spring, and suddenly the mahogany panel slid noiselessly back in its groove, and discovered the canvas to the stranger’s admiring gaze.

instant

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

From this reading The sympathy and love, and the gentle serenity in the divine face, exerted an instant sway over the younger spectator.

itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading The merchant, who no doubt looked for this, pressed a spring, and suddenly the mahogany panel slid noiselessly back in its groove, and discovered the canvas to the stranger’s admiring gaze.

lookednounUS /looked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The merchant, who no doubt looked for this, pressed a spring, and suddenly the mahogany panel slid noiselessly back in its groove, and discovered the canvas to the stranger’s admiring gaze.

love

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

From this reading The sympathy and love, and the gentle serenity in the divine face, exerted an instant sway over the younger spectator.

mahogany

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

From this reading The merchant, who no doubt looked for this, pressed a spring, and suddenly the mahogany panel slid noiselessly back in its groove, and discovered the canvas to the stranger’s admiring gaze.

man

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

From this reading At the sacred names of Christ and Raphael the young man showed some curiosity.

merchantnounUS /ˈmɜːr.tʃənt/

A person or company involved in wholesale trade, especially with foreign countries.

From this reading The merchant, who no doubt looked for this, pressed a spring, and suddenly the mahogany panel slid noiselessly back in its groove, and discovered the canvas to the stranger’s admiring gaze.

much

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

From this reading The old man became a being of flesh and blood, very much alive, with nothing chimerical about him, and took up his existence at once upon solid earth.

names

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

From this reading At the sacred names of Christ and Raphael the young man showed some curiosity.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading The merchant, who no doubt looked for this, pressed a spring, and suddenly the mahogany panel slid noiselessly back in its groove, and discovered the canvas to the stranger’s admiring gaze.

noiselessly

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

From this reading The merchant, who no doubt looked for this, pressed a spring, and suddenly the mahogany panel slid noiselessly back in its groove, and discovered the canvas to the stranger’s admiring gaze.

nothingpronounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading The old man became a being of flesh and blood, very much alive, with nothing chimerical about him, and took up his existence at once upon solid earth.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading At the sacred names of Christ and Raphael the young man showed some curiosity.

old

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

From this reading The old man became a being of flesh and blood, very much alive, with nothing chimerical about him, and took up his existence at once upon solid earth.

once

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

From this reading The old man became a being of flesh and blood, very much alive, with nothing chimerical about him, and took up his existence at once upon solid earth.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading The sympathy and love, and the gentle serenity in the divine face, exerted an instant sway over the younger spectator.

panel

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

From this reading The merchant, who no doubt looked for this, pressed a spring, and suddenly the mahogany panel slid noiselessly back in its groove, and discovered the canvas to the stranger’s admiring gaze.

pressed

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

From this reading The merchant, who no doubt looked for this, pressed a spring, and suddenly the mahogany panel slid noiselessly back in its groove, and discovered the canvas to the stranger’s admiring gaze.

Raphael

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

From this reading At the sacred names of Christ and Raphael the young man showed some curiosity.

sacred

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

From this reading At the sacred names of Christ and Raphael the young man showed some curiosity.

serenitynounUS /səˈren.ə.t̬i/

The state of being calm, peaceful, and untroubled by external storms.

From this reading The sympathy and love, and the gentle serenity in the divine face, exerted an instant sway over the younger spectator.

show-rooms

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

From this reading At sight of this deathless creation, he forgot his fancies in the show-rooms and the freaks of his dreams, and became himself again.

showed

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

From this reading At the sacred names of Christ and Raphael the young man showed some curiosity.

sight

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

From this reading At sight of this deathless creation, he forgot his fancies in the show-rooms and the freaks of his dreams, and became himself again.

slid

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

From this reading The merchant, who no doubt looked for this, pressed a spring, and suddenly the mahogany panel slid noiselessly back in its groove, and discovered the canvas to the stranger’s admiring gaze.

solid

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

From this reading The old man became a being of flesh and blood, very much alive, with nothing chimerical about him, and took up his existence at once upon solid earth.

some

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

From this reading At the sacred names of Christ and Raphael the young man showed some curiosity.

spectator

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

From this reading The sympathy and love, and the gentle serenity in the divine face, exerted an instant sway over the younger spectator.

spring

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

From this reading The merchant, who no doubt looked for this, pressed a spring, and suddenly the mahogany panel slid noiselessly back in its groove, and discovered the canvas to the stranger’s admiring gaze.

stranger's

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

From this reading The merchant, who no doubt looked for this, pressed a spring, and suddenly the mahogany panel slid noiselessly back in its groove, and discovered the canvas to the stranger’s admiring gaze.

suddenlynounUS /ˈsuddenly/

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

From this reading The merchant, who no doubt looked for this, pressed a spring, and suddenly the mahogany panel slid noiselessly back in its groove, and discovered the canvas to the stranger’s admiring gaze.

sway

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

From this reading The sympathy and love, and the gentle serenity in the divine face, exerted an instant sway over the younger spectator.

sympathy

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

From this reading The sympathy and love, and the gentle serenity in the divine face, exerted an instant sway over the younger spectator.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading At the sacred names of Christ and Raphael the young man showed some curiosity.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading The merchant, who no doubt looked for this, pressed a spring, and suddenly the mahogany panel slid noiselessly back in its groove, and discovered the canvas to the stranger’s admiring gaze.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading The merchant, who no doubt looked for this, pressed a spring, and suddenly the mahogany panel slid noiselessly back in its groove, and discovered the canvas to the stranger’s admiring gaze.

tooknounUS /took/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The old man became a being of flesh and blood, very much alive, with nothing chimerical about him, and took up his existence at once upon solid earth.

up

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

From this reading The old man became a being of flesh and blood, very much alive, with nothing chimerical about him, and took up his existence at once upon solid earth.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading The old man became a being of flesh and blood, very much alive, with nothing chimerical about him, and took up his existence at once upon solid earth.

very

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

From this reading The old man became a being of flesh and blood, very much alive, with nothing chimerical about him, and took up his existence at once upon solid earth.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading The merchant, who no doubt looked for this, pressed a spring, and suddenly the mahogany panel slid noiselessly back in its groove, and discovered the canvas to the stranger’s admiring gaze.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading The old man became a being of flesh and blood, very much alive, with nothing chimerical about him, and took up his existence at once upon solid earth.

young

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

From this reading At the sacred names of Christ and Raphael the young man showed some curiosity.

younger

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

From this reading The sympathy and love, and the gentle serenity in the divine face, exerted an instant sway over the younger spectator.