used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Mr. Gibbs's errand was not a pleasant one.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading The most serious case was that of a man living in the neighbourhood of Duckwell, who complained that a money letter had never reached him, although it had been posted in Bristol three weeks back.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He came to speak to his chief of complaints that had reached the office as to lost and missing letters.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He came to speak to his chief of complaints that had reached the office as to lost and missing letters.
authoritiesnounUS /əˈθɔːrətiz/
the organization that is the governing authority of a political unit
From this reading And now the Duckwell man declared he would make a fine fuss, and bring the matter before the very highest authorities, if his letter were not forthcoming.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading The most serious case was that of a man living in the neighbourhood of Duckwell, who complained that a money letter had never reached him, although it had been posted in Bristol three weeks back.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The most serious case was that of a man living in the neighbourhood of Duckwell, who complained that a money letter had never reached him, although it had been posted in Bristol three weeks back.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading And now the Duckwell man declared he would make a fine fuss, and bring the matter before the very highest authorities, if his letter were not forthcoming.
take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading And now the Duckwell man declared he would make a fine fuss, and bring the matter before the very highest authorities, if his letter were not forthcoming.
BristolnounUS /ˈbrɪstəl/
an industrial city and port in southwestern England near the mouth of the River Avon
From this reading The most serious case was that of a man living in the neighbourhood of Duckwell, who complained that a money letter had never reached him, although it had been posted in Bristol three weeks back.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Some inquiries had previously been made, but without result.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading He came to speak to his chief of complaints that had reached the office as to lost and missing letters.
an occurrence of something
From this reading The most serious case was that of a man living in the neighbourhood of Duckwell, who complained that a money letter had never reached him, although it had been posted in Bristol three weeks back.
a person who is in charge
From this reading He came to speak to his chief of complaints that had reached the office as to lost and missing letters.
complainedverbUS /kəmˈpleɪnd/
past form of “complain” — express complaints, discontent, displeasure, or unhappiness
From this reading The most serious case was that of a man living in the neighbourhood of Duckwell, who complained that a money letter had never reached him, although it had been posted in Bristol three weeks back.
complaintsnounUS /kəmˈpleɪnts/
plural of “complaint” — an often persistent bodily disorder or disease; a cause for complaining
From this reading He came to speak to his chief of complaints that had reached the office as to lost and missing letters.
made known or openly avowed
From this reading And now the Duckwell man declared he would make a fine fuss, and bring the matter before the very highest authorities, if his letter were not forthcoming.
Duckwell
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The most serious case was that of a man living in the neighbourhood of Duckwell, who complained that a money letter had never reached him, although it had been posted in Bristol three weeks back.
errandnounUS /ˈerənd/
a short trip that is taken in the performance of a necessary task or mission
From this reading Mr. Gibbs's errand was not a pleasant one.
being satisfactory or in satisfactory condition
From this reading And now the Duckwell man declared he would make a fine fuss, and bring the matter before the very highest authorities, if his letter were not forthcoming.
forthcomingadjectiveUS /ˈfɔːrθˈkʌmɪŋ/
at ease in talking to others
From this reading And now the Duckwell man declared he would make a fine fuss, and bring the matter before the very highest authorities, if his letter were not forthcoming.
fussverbUS /fʌs/
worry unnecessarily or excessively
From this reading And now the Duckwell man declared he would make a fine fuss, and bring the matter before the very highest authorities, if his letter were not forthcoming.
Gibbs'snounUS /ˈɡɪbzɪz/
possessive form of “gibbs” — United States chemist (1839-1903)
From this reading Mr. Gibbs's errand was not a pleasant one.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He came to speak to his chief of complaints that had reached the office as to lost and missing letters.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He came to speak to his chief of complaints that had reached the office as to lost and missing letters.
superlative of “high” — greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading And now the Duckwell man declared he would make a fine fuss, and bring the matter before the very highest authorities, if his letter were not forthcoming.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The most serious case was that of a man living in the neighbourhood of Duckwell, who complained that a money letter had never reached him, although it had been posted in Bristol three weeks back.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He came to speak to his chief of complaints that had reached the office as to lost and missing letters.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading And now the Duckwell man declared he would make a fine fuss, and bring the matter before the very highest authorities, if his letter were not forthcoming.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The most serious case was that of a man living in the neighbourhood of Duckwell, who complained that a money letter had never reached him, although it had been posted in Bristol three weeks back.
inquiriesnounUS /ˌɪnˈkwaɪəriz/
plural of “inquiry” — a search for knowledge
From this reading Some inquiries had previously been made, but without result.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The most serious case was that of a man living in the neighbourhood of Duckwell, who complained that a money letter had never reached him, although it had been posted in Bristol three weeks back.
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading The most serious case was that of a man living in the neighbourhood of Duckwell, who complained that a money letter had never reached him, although it had been posted in Bristol three weeks back.
the literary culture
From this reading He came to speak to his chief of complaints that had reached the office as to lost and missing letters.
the experience of being alive; the course of human events and activities
From this reading The most serious case was that of a man living in the neighbourhood of Duckwell, who complained that a money letter had never reached him, although it had been posted in Bristol three weeks back.
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading He came to speak to his chief of complaints that had reached the office as to lost and missing letters.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading Some inquiries had previously been made, but without result.
engage in
From this reading And now the Duckwell man declared he would make a fine fuss, and bring the matter before the very highest authorities, if his letter were not forthcoming.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The most serious case was that of a man living in the neighbourhood of Duckwell, who complained that a money letter had never reached him, although it had been posted in Bristol three weeks back.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading And now the Duckwell man declared he would make a fine fuss, and bring the matter before the very highest authorities, if his letter were not forthcoming.
missingadjectiveUS /ˈmɪsɪŋ/
not able to be found
From this reading He came to speak to his chief of complaints that had reached the office as to lost and missing letters.
the most common medium of exchange; functions as legal tender
From this reading The most serious case was that of a man living in the neighbourhood of Duckwell, who complained that a money letter had never reached him, although it had been posted in Bristol three weeks back.
used to form the superlative
From this reading The most serious case was that of a man living in the neighbourhood of Duckwell, who complained that a money letter had never reached him, although it had been posted in Bristol three weeks back.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Mr. Gibbs's errand was not a pleasant one.
neighbourhoodnounUS /ˈneɪbərhʊd/
a surrounding or nearby region
From this reading The most serious case was that of a man living in the neighbourhood of Duckwell, who complained that a money letter had never reached him, although it had been posted in Bristol three weeks back.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading The most serious case was that of a man living in the neighbourhood of Duckwell, who complained that a money letter had never reached him, although it had been posted in Bristol three weeks back.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Mr. Gibbs's errand was not a pleasant one.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading And now the Duckwell man declared he would make a fine fuss, and bring the matter before the very highest authorities, if his letter were not forthcoming.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He came to speak to his chief of complaints that had reached the office as to lost and missing letters.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading He came to speak to his chief of complaints that had reached the office as to lost and missing letters.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Mr. Gibbs's errand was not a pleasant one.
affording pleasure; being in harmony with your taste or likings
From this reading Mr. Gibbs's errand was not a pleasant one.
postedadjectiveUS /ˈpoʊstɪd/
publicly displayed
From this reading The most serious case was that of a man living in the neighbourhood of Duckwell, who complained that a money letter had never reached him, although it had been posted in Bristol three weeks back.
previouslyadverbUS /ˈpriːviəsli/
at an earlier time or formerly
From this reading Some inquiries had previously been made, but without result.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading He came to speak to his chief of complaints that had reached the office as to lost and missing letters.
a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon
From this reading Some inquiries had previously been made, but without result.
concerned with work or important matters rather than play or trivialities
From this reading The most serious case was that of a man living in the neighbourhood of Duckwell, who complained that a money letter had never reached him, although it had been posted in Bristol three weeks back.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Some inquiries had previously been made, but without result.
express in speech
From this reading He came to speak to his chief of complaints that had reached the office as to lost and missing letters.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He came to speak to his chief of complaints that had reached the office as to lost and missing letters.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He came to speak to his chief of complaints that had reached the office as to lost and missing letters.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading The most serious case was that of a man living in the neighbourhood of Duckwell, who complained that a money letter had never reached him, although it had been posted in Bristol three weeks back.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He came to speak to his chief of complaints that had reached the office as to lost and missing letters.
precisely as stated
From this reading And now the Duckwell man declared he would make a fine fuss, and bring the matter before the very highest authorities, if his letter were not forthcoming.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Mr. Gibbs's errand was not a pleasant one.
plural of “week” — any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading The most serious case was that of a man living in the neighbourhood of Duckwell, who complained that a money letter had never reached him, although it had been posted in Bristol three weeks back.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading And now the Duckwell man declared he would make a fine fuss, and bring the matter before the very highest authorities, if his letter were not forthcoming.
which person or people
From this reading The most serious case was that of a man living in the neighbourhood of Duckwell, who complained that a money letter had never reached him, although it had been posted in Bristol three weeks back.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading Some inquiries had previously been made, but without result.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading And now the Duckwell man declared he would make a fine fuss, and bring the matter before the very highest authorities, if his letter were not forthcoming.
