used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The stable began to acquire for him a horrid fascination, so powerful that he could no longer stay away from it.
acquireverbUS /əˈkwaɪər/
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading The stable began to acquire for him a horrid fascination, so powerful that he could no longer stay away from it.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading Old Hennery might have removed them after he left, or perhaps he had himself washed them and put them away in the harness-closet without remembering it.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He _had_ to return, to see the place with his eyes, to see the tell-tale cups and plates.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading The stable began to acquire for him a horrid fascination, so powerful that he could no longer stay away from it.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading The stable began to acquire for him a horrid fascination, so powerful that he could no longer stay away from it.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading The stable began to acquire for him a horrid fascination, so powerful that he could no longer stay away from it.
cupsnounUS /kʌps/
plural of “cup” — a small open container usually used for drinking; usually has a handle
From this reading He _had_ to return, to see the place with his eyes, to see the tell-tale cups and plates.
opinion or judgment
From this reading He _had_ to return, to see the place with his eyes, to see the tell-tale cups and plates.
fascinationnounUS /ˌfæsəˈneɪʃən/
the state of being intensely interested (as by awe or terror)
From this reading The stable began to acquire for him a horrid fascination, so powerful that he could no longer stay away from it.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The stable began to acquire for him a horrid fascination, so powerful that he could no longer stay away from it.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The stable began to acquire for him a horrid fascination, so powerful that he could no longer stay away from it.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He _had_ to return, to see the place with his eyes, to see the tell-tale cups and plates.
come to pass
From this reading Such a thing could happen....
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading Perhaps (he thought) some miracle had happened.
harness-closet
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Old Hennery might have removed them after he left, or perhaps he had himself washed them and put them away in the harness-closet without remembering it.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Old Hennery might have removed them after he left, or perhaps he had himself washed them and put them away in the harness-closet without remembering it.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The stable began to acquire for him a horrid fascination, so powerful that he could no longer stay away from it.
Hennery
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Old Hennery might have removed them after he left, or perhaps he had himself washed them and put them away in the harness-closet without remembering it.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The stable began to acquire for him a horrid fascination, so powerful that he could no longer stay away from it.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Old Hennery might have removed them after he left, or perhaps he had himself washed them and put them away in the harness-closet without remembering it.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He _had_ to return, to see the place with his eyes, to see the tell-tale cups and plates.
horridadjectiveUS /ˈhɔːrəd/
exceedingly bad
From this reading The stable began to acquire for him a horrid fascination, so powerful that he could no longer stay away from it.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Old Hennery might have removed them after he left, or perhaps he had himself washed them and put them away in the harness-closet without remembering it.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The stable began to acquire for him a horrid fascination, so powerful that he could no longer stay away from it.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading Old Hennery might have removed them after he left, or perhaps he had himself washed them and put them away in the harness-closet without remembering it.
for more time
From this reading The stable began to acquire for him a horrid fascination, so powerful that he could no longer stay away from it.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading Old Hennery might have removed them after he left, or perhaps he had himself washed them and put them away in the harness-closet without remembering it.
miraclenounUS /ˈmɪrəkəl/
any amazing or wonderful occurrence
From this reading Perhaps (he thought) some miracle had happened.
not any; not one
From this reading The stable began to acquire for him a horrid fascination, so powerful that he could no longer stay away from it.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading Old Hennery might have removed them after he left, or perhaps he had himself washed them and put them away in the harness-closet without remembering it.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Old Hennery might have removed them after he left, or perhaps he had himself washed them and put them away in the harness-closet without remembering it.
by chance
From this reading Perhaps (he thought) some miracle had happened.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading He _had_ to return, to see the place with his eyes, to see the tell-tale cups and plates.
platesnounUS /pleɪts/
plural of “plate” — (baseball) base consisting of a rubber slab where the batter stands; it must be touched by a base runner in order to score
From this reading He _had_ to return, to see the place with his eyes, to see the tell-tale cups and plates.
having great power or force or potency or effect
From this reading The stable began to acquire for him a horrid fascination, so powerful that he could no longer stay away from it.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Old Hennery might have removed them after he left, or perhaps he had himself washed them and put them away in the harness-closet without remembering it.
rememberingnounUS /rɪˈmembərɪŋ/
the cognitive processes whereby past experience is remembered
From this reading Old Hennery might have removed them after he left, or perhaps he had himself washed them and put them away in the harness-closet without remembering it.
separated in relationship by a given degree of descent
From this reading Old Hennery might have removed them after he left, or perhaps he had himself washed them and put them away in the harness-closet without remembering it.
go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading He _had_ to return, to see the place with his eyes, to see the tell-tale cups and plates.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading He _had_ to return, to see the place with his eyes, to see the tell-tale cups and plates.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading The stable began to acquire for him a horrid fascination, so powerful that he could no longer stay away from it.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Perhaps (he thought) some miracle had happened.
stableadjectiveUS /ˈsteɪbəl/
resistant to change of position or condition
From this reading The stable began to acquire for him a horrid fascination, so powerful that he could no longer stay away from it.
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading The stable began to acquire for him a horrid fascination, so powerful that he could no longer stay away from it.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading Such a thing could happen....
tell-tale
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He _had_ to return, to see the place with his eyes, to see the tell-tale cups and plates.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The stable began to acquire for him a horrid fascination, so powerful that he could no longer stay away from it.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The stable began to acquire for him a horrid fascination, so powerful that he could no longer stay away from it.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Old Hennery might have removed them after he left, or perhaps he had himself washed them and put them away in the harness-closet without remembering it.
a special situation
From this reading Such a thing could happen....
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading Perhaps (he thought) some miracle had happened.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The stable began to acquire for him a horrid fascination, so powerful that he could no longer stay away from it.
clean by virtue of having been washed in water
From this reading Old Hennery might have removed them after he left, or perhaps he had himself washed them and put them away in the harness-closet without remembering it.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He _had_ to return, to see the place with his eyes, to see the tell-tale cups and plates.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading Old Hennery might have removed them after he left, or perhaps he had himself washed them and put them away in the harness-closet without remembering it.
