absentadjectiveUS /ˈæbsənt/
not being in a specified place
From this reading He was absent from home at the time, and we had had no forewarning of the loss.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Thus my life went on until I grew to manhood, and then two grave events befell, following close upon each other's heels.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He was absent from home at the time, and we had had no forewarning of the loss.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading I do not know whether his errand when he left us, to be away, he said, for four or five weeks, was one of pleasure or business.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading I do not know whether his errand when he left us, to be away, he said, for four or five weeks, was one of pleasure or business.
befellverbUS /bɪˈfel/
inflected form of “befall” — become of; happen to
From this reading Thus my life went on until I grew to manhood, and then two grave events befell, following close upon each other's heels.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Quite suddenly, before the time had elapsed, I was summoned to my mother's room by Mrs. Fortress.
a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it
From this reading I do not know whether his errand when he left us, to be away, he said, for four or five weeks, was one of pleasure or business.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Quite suddenly, before the time had elapsed, I was summoned to my mother's room by Mrs. Fortress.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading Thus my life went on until I grew to manhood, and then two grave events befell, following close upon each other's heels.
past form of “die” — pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading First, my father died.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading I do not know whether his errand when he left us, to be away, he said, for four or five weeks, was one of pleasure or business.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading Thus my life went on until I grew to manhood, and then two grave events befell, following close upon each other's heels.
elapsedadjectiveUS /ɪˈlæpst/
(of time) having passed or slipped by
From this reading Quite suddenly, before the time had elapsed, I was summoned to my mother's room by Mrs. Fortress.
errandnounUS /ˈerənd/
a short trip that is taken in the performance of a necessary task or mission
From this reading I do not know whether his errand when he left us, to be away, he said, for four or five weeks, was one of pleasure or business.
plural of “event” — something that happens at a given place and time
From this reading Thus my life went on until I grew to manhood, and then two grave events befell, following close upon each other's heels.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading First, my father died.
FirstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading First, my father died.
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading I do not know whether his errand when he left us, to be away, he said, for four or five weeks, was one of pleasure or business.
about to be mentioned or specified
From this reading Thus my life went on until I grew to manhood, and then two grave events befell, following close upon each other's heels.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I do not know whether his errand when he left us, to be away, he said, for four or five weeks, was one of pleasure or business.
forewarningnounUS /fɔːrˈwɔːrnɪŋ/
an early warning about a future event
From this reading He was absent from home at the time, and we had had no forewarning of the loss.
FortressnounUS /ˈfɔːrtrəs/
a fortified defensive structure
From this reading Quite suddenly, before the time had elapsed, I was summoned to my mother's room by Mrs. Fortress.
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading I do not know whether his errand when he left us, to be away, he said, for four or five weeks, was one of pleasure or business.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading He was absent from home at the time, and we had had no forewarning of the loss.
death of a person
From this reading Thus my life went on until I grew to manhood, and then two grave events befell, following close upon each other's heels.
inflected form of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading Thus my life went on until I grew to manhood, and then two grave events befell, following close upon each other's heels.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He was absent from home at the time, and we had had no forewarning of the loss.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was absent from home at the time, and we had had no forewarning of the loss.
plural of “heel” — the bottom of a shoe or boot; the back part of a shoe or boot that touches the ground and provides elevation
From this reading Thus my life went on until I grew to manhood, and then two grave events befell, following close upon each other's heels.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading I do not know whether his errand when he left us, to be away, he said, for four or five weeks, was one of pleasure or business.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading He was absent from home at the time, and we had had no forewarning of the loss.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Thus my life went on until I grew to manhood, and then two grave events befell, following close upon each other's heels.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading I do not know whether his errand when he left us, to be away, he said, for four or five weeks, was one of pleasure or business.
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 I do not know whether his errand when he left us, to be away, he said, for four or five weeks, was one of pleasure or business.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading Thus my life went on until I grew to manhood, and then two grave events befell, following close upon each other's heels.
something that is lost
From this reading He was absent from home at the time, and we had had no forewarning of the loss.
manhoodnounUS /ˈmænhʊd/
the state of being a man; manly qualities
From this reading Thus my life went on until I grew to manhood, and then two grave events befell, following close upon each other's heels.
mother'snounUS /ˈmʌðərz/
possessive form of “mother” — a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading Quite suddenly, before the time had elapsed, I was summoned to my mother's room by Mrs. Fortress.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Quite suddenly, before the time had elapsed, I was summoned to my mother's room by Mrs. Fortress.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Thus my life went on until I grew to manhood, and then two grave events befell, following close upon each other's heels.
not any; not one
From this reading He was absent from home at the time, and we had had no forewarning of the loss.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I do not know whether his errand when he left us, to be away, he said, for four or five weeks, was one of pleasure or business.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He was absent from home at the time, and we had had no forewarning of the loss.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Thus my life went on until I grew to manhood, and then two grave events befell, following close upon each other's heels.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading I do not know whether his errand when he left us, to be away, he said, for four or five weeks, was one of pleasure or business.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading I do not know whether his errand when he left us, to be away, he said, for four or five weeks, was one of pleasure or business.
other's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Thus my life went on until I grew to manhood, and then two grave events befell, following close upon each other's heels.
a fundamental feeling that is hard to define but that people desire to experience
From this reading I do not know whether his errand when he left us, to be away, he said, for four or five weeks, was one of pleasure or business.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading Quite suddenly, before the time had elapsed, I was summoned to my mother's room by Mrs. Fortress.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading Quite suddenly, before the time had elapsed, I was summoned to my mother's room by Mrs. Fortress.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading I do not know whether his errand when he left us, to be away, he said, for four or five weeks, was one of pleasure or business.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading Quite suddenly, before the time had elapsed, I was summoned to my mother's room by Mrs. Fortress.
summonedverbUS /ˈsʌmənd/
past form of “summon” — call in an official matter, such as to attend court
From this reading Quite suddenly, before the time had elapsed, I was summoned to my mother's room by Mrs. Fortress.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He was absent from home at the time, and we had had no forewarning of the loss.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Thus my life went on until I grew to manhood, and then two grave events befell, following close upon each other's heels.
(used to introduce a logical conclusion) from that fact or reason or as a result
From this reading Thus my life went on until I grew to manhood, and then two grave events befell, following close upon each other's heels.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading He was absent from home at the time, and we had had no forewarning of the loss.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Thus my life went on until I grew to manhood, and then two grave events befell, following close upon each other's heels.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Thus my life went on until I grew to manhood, and then two grave events befell, following close upon each other's heels.
untilprepositionUS /ənˈtɪl/
up to a particular time
From this reading Thus my life went on until I grew to manhood, and then two grave events befell, following close upon each other's heels.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Thus my life went on until I grew to manhood, and then two grave events befell, following close upon each other's heels.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I do not know whether his errand when he left us, to be away, he said, for four or five weeks, was one of pleasure or business.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was absent from home at the time, and we had had no forewarning of the loss.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading He was absent from home at the time, and we had had no forewarning of the loss.
plural of “week” — any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading I do not know whether his errand when he left us, to be away, he said, for four or five weeks, was one of pleasure or business.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Thus my life went on until I grew to manhood, and then two grave events befell, following close upon each other's heels.
at the time that
From this reading I do not know whether his errand when he left us, to be away, he said, for four or five weeks, was one of pleasure or business.
used to introduce two or more possibilities
From this reading I do not know whether his errand when he left us, to be away, he said, for four or five weeks, was one of pleasure or business.
