dragon
part of speech
noun (a dragon, dragons)
meaning for a pupil
1) A dragon is a made-up creature in stories, usually a huge lizard-like monster with wings and claws that can breathe fire. tree →
2) Dragon is also the name of some real lizards, like the Komodo dragon or bearded dragon. tree →
3) A dragon can be a fierce, strict person, as a joke. tree →
sense in the lessons
In the Tanakh and Jewish tradition: In Sefer Yetzirah the "Dragon" (Teli) is a heavenly figure, not a fire-breathing monster; it is one of three witnesses along with the Wheel and the Heart. In the Prophets the dragon is a great sea monster that stands for powers hostile to God, and in Nehemiah "the dragon's well" is a place by a gate of Jerusalem. Interpretation: Readers take the Dragon to mean the constellation Draco or the axis of the heavens around which the sky turns. The Wheel is the year and the Heart is man, so the three together tie the sky, time and human beings. Isaiah's dragon is read as a sign that God will overcome the great powers of evil, and sometimes as a picture of Egypt. In the primary lessons: In stories and myths, dragons guard treasure, fight knights and heroes, and stand for danger or great power; in Chinese tradition the dragon is lucky and kind and brings rain, and dragon dances happen at Chinese New Year. The red dragon is on the flag of Wales. In science, the Komodo dragon is the largest living lizard; bearded dragons are popular pets. Phrases: «a fire-breathing dragon», «dragon's den», «dragonfly», «Chinese dragon».
examples
- An edict—Twelve [another version: Ten] and Seven and Three He appointed them: the Dragon Teli, and the Wheel, and the Heart. (Sefer Yetzirah, Sefaria community translation) tree →
- To confirm this there are faithful witnesses; the world, year and man, the twelve, the Equipoise, the heptade, which God regulates like the Dragon, [40] (Tali) sphere and the heart. (Sefer Yetzirah, Kalisch 1877) tree →
- He fixed these as testimonies of the Triad, the Heptad, and the Dodecad; the twelve constellations rulers of the world, the Dragon (THELE) Tali which environs the universe, and the microcosm, man. (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1887) tree →
- Art thou not it that hewed Rahab in pieces, that pierced the dragon? (Prophets ISA.51.9, JPS 1917) tree →
- In that day the LORD with His sore and great and strong sword will punish leviathan the slant serpent, and leviathan the tortuous serpent; and He will slay the dragon that is in the sea. (Prophets ISA.27.1, JPS 1917) tree →
- And I went out by night by the valley gate, even toward the dragon's well, and to the dung gate, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem, which were broken down, and the gates thereof were consumed with fire. (Writings NEH.2.13, JPS 1917) tree →
- The knight fought the dragon to save the village. tree →
- The dragon breathed fire over the castle. tree →
- The Welsh flag has a red dragon on it. tree →
- We watched a dragon dance at Chinese New Year. tree →
- Komodo dragons are the biggest lizards in the world. tree →
- My friend has a bearded dragon as a pet. tree →
- Dragons are not real, but Komodo dragons are. tree →
- A dragonfly is an insect, not a dragon. tree →
- And still the dragon flew on. tree →
note
Countable: «a dragon, dragons». Story dragons are not real; real «dragons» are lizards. A «dragonfly» is a fast insect with four wings, not a small dragon.
In the corpora
- Art thou not it that hewed Rahab in pieces, that pierced the dragon?
- Freya wants the dragon film; her brother wants the football one; they shout.
- In Shrek, a dragon as big as a castle breathes great flames, flies and guards a castle full of treasure.
- Komodo dragons have venom glands in their jaws; the venom stops blood clotting and weakens prey.
- A Komodo dragon can eat up to about 80 percent of its own weight in one meal and then wait weeks.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «dragon» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.