Chapter II

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading By virtue of some gift of adaptation which seemed forever to discredit human sensibility, people were already beginning to live into the monstrous idea of it, acquire its ways, speak its language, regard it as a thinkable, endurable, arrangeable fact; to eat it by day, and sleep on it—yes, and soundly—at night.

come into the possession of something concrete or abstract

From this reading By virtue of some gift of adaptation which seemed forever to discredit human sensibility, people were already beginning to live into the monstrous idea of it, acquire its ways, speak its language, regard it as a thinkable, endurable, arrangeable fact; to eat it by day, and sleep on it—yes, and soundly—at night.

a written work (as a novel) that has been recast in a new form

From this reading By virtue of some gift of adaptation which seemed forever to discredit human sensibility, people were already beginning to live into the monstrous idea of it, acquire its ways, speak its language, regard it as a thinkable, endurable, arrangeable fact; to eat it by day, and sleep on it—yes, and soundly—at night.

happening at a time subsequent to a reference time

From this reading She had had, afterward, her hour of triumph, the hour of the Marne; then her hour of passionate and prayerful hope, when it seemed to the watching nations that the enemy was not only held back but thrust back, and victory finally in reach.

Having no one else present.

From this reading She had had her great hour of resistance, when, alone, exposed and defenceless, she had held back the enemy and broken his strength.

prior to a specified or implied time

From this reading By virtue of some gift of adaptation which seemed forever to discredit human sensibility, people were already beginning to live into the monstrous idea of it, acquire its ways, speak its language, regard it as a thinkable, endurable, arrangeable fact; to eat it by day, and sleep on it—yes, and soundly—at night.

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

From this reading By virtue of some gift of adaptation which seemed forever to discredit human sensibility, people were already beginning to live into the monstrous idea of it, acquire its ways, speak its language, regard it as a thinkable, endurable, arrangeable fact; to eat it by day, and sleep on it—yes, and soundly—at night.

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

From this reading By virtue of some gift of adaptation which seemed forever to discredit human sensibility, people were already beginning to live into the monstrous idea of it, acquire its ways, speak its language, regard it as a thinkable, endurable, arrangeable fact; to eat it by day, and sleep on it—yes, and soundly—at night.

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading By virtue of some gift of adaptation which seemed forever to discredit human sensibility, people were already beginning to live into the monstrous idea of it, acquire its ways, speak its language, regard it as a thinkable, endurable, arrangeable fact; to eat it by day, and sleep on it—yes, and soundly—at night.

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading By virtue of some gift of adaptation which seemed forever to discredit human sensibility, people were already beginning to live into the monstrous idea of it, acquire its ways, speak its language, regard it as a thinkable, endurable, arrangeable fact; to eat it by day, and sleep on it—yes, and soundly—at night.

in or to or toward a former location

From this reading She had had her great hour of resistance, when, alone, exposed and defenceless, she had held back the enemy and broken his strength.

the event consisting of the start of something

From this reading By virtue of some gift of adaptation which seemed forever to discredit human sensibility, people were already beginning to live into the monstrous idea of it, acquire its ways, speak its language, regard it as a thinkable, endurable, arrangeable fact; to eat it by day, and sleep on it—yes, and soundly—at night.

physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split

From this reading She had had her great hour of resistance, when, alone, exposed and defenceless, she had held back the enemy and broken his strength.

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading She had had, afterward, her hour of triumph, the hour of the Marne; then her hour of passionate and prayerful hope, when it seemed to the watching nations that the enemy was not only held back but thrust back, and victory finally in reach.

showing who or what does the action

From this reading By virtue of some gift of adaptation which seemed forever to discredit human sensibility, people were already beginning to live into the monstrous idea of it, acquire its ways, speak its language, regard it as a thinkable, endurable, arrangeable fact; to eat it by day, and sleep on it—yes, and soundly—at night.

plural of “century” — a period of 100 years

From this reading X The war was three months old—three centuries.

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading By virtue of some gift of adaptation which seemed forever to discredit human sensibility, people were already beginning to live into the monstrous idea of it, acquire its ways, speak its language, regard it as a thinkable, endurable, arrangeable fact; to eat it by day, and sleep on it—yes, and soundly—at night.

lacking protection or support

From this reading She had had her great hour of resistance, when, alone, exposed and defenceless, she had held back the enemy and broken his strength.

cause to be distrusted or disbelieved

From this reading By virtue of some gift of adaptation which seemed forever to discredit human sensibility, people were already beginning to live into the monstrous idea of it, acquire its ways, speak its language, regard it as a thinkable, endurable, arrangeable fact; to eat it by day, and sleep on it—yes, and soundly—at night.

take in solid food

From this reading By virtue of some gift of adaptation which seemed forever to discredit human sensibility, people were already beginning to live into the monstrous idea of it, acquire its ways, speak its language, regard it as a thinkable, endurable, arrangeable fact; to eat it by day, and sleep on it—yes, and soundly—at night.

capable of being borne though unpleasant

From this reading By virtue of some gift of adaptation which seemed forever to discredit human sensibility, people were already beginning to live into the monstrous idea of it, acquire its ways, speak its language, regard it as a thinkable, endurable, arrangeable fact; to eat it by day, and sleep on it—yes, and soundly—at night.

an opposing military force

From this reading She had had her great hour of resistance, when, alone, exposed and defenceless, she had held back the enemy and broken his strength.

with no protection or shield

From this reading She had had her great hour of resistance, when, alone, exposed and defenceless, she had held back the enemy and broken his strength.

a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred

From this reading By virtue of some gift of adaptation which seemed forever to discredit human sensibility, people were already beginning to live into the monstrous idea of it, acquire its ways, speak its language, regard it as a thinkable, endurable, arrangeable fact; to eat it by day, and sleep on it—yes, and soundly—at night.

after an unspecified period of time or an especially long delay

From this reading She had had, afterward, her hour of triumph, the hour of the Marne; then her hour of passionate and prayerful hope, when it seemed to the watching nations that the enemy was not only held back but thrust back, and victory finally in reach.

for a limitless time

From this reading By virtue of some gift of adaptation which seemed forever to discredit human sensibility, people were already beginning to live into the monstrous idea of it, acquire its ways, speak its language, regard it as a thinkable, endurable, arrangeable fact; to eat it by day, and sleep on it—yes, and soundly—at night.

something acquired without compensation

From this reading By virtue of some gift of adaptation which seemed forever to discredit human sensibility, people were already beginning to live into the monstrous idea of it, acquire its ways, speak its language, regard it as a thinkable, endurable, arrangeable fact; to eat it by day, and sleep on it—yes, and soundly—at night.

relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind

From this reading She had had her great hour of resistance, when, alone, exposed and defenceless, she had held back the enemy and broken his strength.

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading She had had her great hour of resistance, when, alone, exposed and defenceless, she had held back the enemy and broken his strength.

occupied or in the control of; often used in combination

From this reading She had had her great hour of resistance, when, alone, exposed and defenceless, she had held back the enemy and broken his strength.

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading She had had her great hour of resistance, when, alone, exposed and defenceless, she had held back the enemy and broken his strength.

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

From this reading She had had her great hour of resistance, when, alone, exposed and defenceless, she had held back the enemy and broken his strength.

a specific instance of feeling hopeful

From this reading She had had, afterward, her hour of triumph, the hour of the Marne; then her hour of passionate and prayerful hope, when it seemed to the watching nations that the enemy was not only held back but thrust back, and victory finally in reach.

a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day

From this reading She had had her great hour of resistance, when, alone, exposed and defenceless, she had held back the enemy and broken his strength.

characteristic of humanity

From this reading By virtue of some gift of adaptation which seemed forever to discredit human sensibility, people were already beginning to live into the monstrous idea of it, acquire its ways, speak its language, regard it as a thinkable, endurable, arrangeable fact; to eat it by day, and sleep on it—yes, and soundly—at night.

the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

From this reading By virtue of some gift of adaptation which seemed forever to discredit human sensibility, people were already beginning to live into the monstrous idea of it, acquire its ways, speak its language, regard it as a thinkable, endurable, arrangeable fact; to eat it by day, and sleep on it—yes, and soundly—at night.

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

From this reading She had had, afterward, her hour of triumph, the hour of the Marne; then her hour of passionate and prayerful hope, when it seemed to the watching nations that the enemy was not only held back but thrust back, and victory finally in reach.

moving to the inside of something

From this reading By virtue of some gift of adaptation which seemed forever to discredit human sensibility, people were already beginning to live into the monstrous idea of it, acquire its ways, speak its language, regard it as a thinkable, endurable, arrangeable fact; to eat it by day, and sleep on it—yes, and soundly—at night.

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading By virtue of some gift of adaptation which seemed forever to discredit human sensibility, people were already beginning to live into the monstrous idea of it, acquire its ways, speak its language, regard it as a thinkable, endurable, arrangeable fact; to eat it by day, and sleep on it—yes, and soundly—at night.

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading By virtue of some gift of adaptation which seemed forever to discredit human sensibility, people were already beginning to live into the monstrous idea of it, acquire its ways, speak its language, regard it as a thinkable, endurable, arrangeable fact; to eat it by day, and sleep on it—yes, and soundly—at night.

a systematic means of communicating by the use of sounds or conventional symbols

From this reading By virtue of some gift of adaptation which seemed forever to discredit human sensibility, people were already beginning to live into the monstrous idea of it, acquire its ways, speak its language, regard it as a thinkable, endurable, arrangeable fact; to eat it by day, and sleep on it—yes, and soundly—at night.

a characteristic state or mode of living

From this reading The war went on; life went on; Paris went on.

be an inhabitant of or reside in

From this reading By virtue of some gift of adaptation which seemed forever to discredit human sensibility, people were already beginning to live into the monstrous idea of it, acquire its ways, speak its language, regard it as a thinkable, endurable, arrangeable fact; to eat it by day, and sleep on it—yes, and soundly—at night.

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

From this reading She had had, afterward, her hour of triumph, the hour of the Marne; then her hour of passionate and prayerful hope, when it seemed to the watching nations that the enemy was not only held back but thrust back, and victory finally in reach.

abnormally large

From this reading By virtue of some gift of adaptation which seemed forever to discredit human sensibility, people were already beginning to live into the monstrous idea of it, acquire its ways, speak its language, regard it as a thinkable, endurable, arrangeable fact; to eat it by day, and sleep on it—yes, and soundly—at night.

plural of “month” — one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year

From this reading X The war was three months old—three centuries.

plural of “nation” — a politically organized body of people under a single government

From this reading She had had, afterward, her hour of triumph, the hour of the Marne; then her hour of passionate and prayerful hope, when it seemed to the watching nations that the enemy was not only held back but thrust back, and victory finally in reach.

the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside

From this reading By virtue of some gift of adaptation which seemed forever to discredit human sensibility, people were already beginning to live into the monstrous idea of it, acquire its ways, speak its language, regard it as a thinkable, endurable, arrangeable fact; to eat it by day, and sleep on it—yes, and soundly—at night.

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading She had had, afterward, her hour of triumph, the hour of the Marne; then her hour of passionate and prayerful hope, when it seemed to the watching nations that the enemy was not only held back but thrust back, and victory finally in reach.

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading By virtue of some gift of adaptation which seemed forever to discredit human sensibility, people were already beginning to live into the monstrous idea of it, acquire its ways, speak its language, regard it as a thinkable, endurable, arrangeable fact; to eat it by day, and sleep on it—yes, and soundly—at night.

(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading X The war was three months old—three centuries.

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading By virtue of some gift of adaptation which seemed forever to discredit human sensibility, people were already beginning to live into the monstrous idea of it, acquire its ways, speak its language, regard it as a thinkable, endurable, arrangeable fact; to eat it by day, and sleep on it—yes, and soundly—at night.

and nothing more

From this reading She had had, afterward, her hour of triumph, the hour of the Marne; then her hour of passionate and prayerful hope, when it seemed to the watching nations that the enemy was not only held back but thrust back, and victory finally in reach.

the capital and largest city of France; and international center of culture and commerce

From this reading The war went on; life went on; Paris went on.

having or expressing strong emotions

From this reading She had had, afterward, her hour of triumph, the hour of the Marne; then her hour of passionate and prayerful hope, when it seemed to the watching nations that the enemy was not only held back but thrust back, and victory finally in reach.

(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively

From this reading By virtue of some gift of adaptation which seemed forever to discredit human sensibility, people were already beginning to live into the monstrous idea of it, acquire its ways, speak its language, regard it as a thinkable, endurable, arrangeable fact; to eat it by day, and sleep on it—yes, and soundly—at night.

disposed to pray or appearing to pray

From this reading She had had, afterward, her hour of triumph, the hour of the Marne; then her hour of passionate and prayerful hope, when it seemed to the watching nations that the enemy was not only held back but thrust back, and victory finally in reach.

reach a destination, either real or abstract

From this reading She had had, afterward, her hour of triumph, the hour of the Marne; then her hour of passionate and prayerful hope, when it seemed to the watching nations that the enemy was not only held back but thrust back, and victory finally in reach.

(usually preceded by “in”) a detail or point

From this reading By virtue of some gift of adaptation which seemed forever to discredit human sensibility, people were already beginning to live into the monstrous idea of it, acquire its ways, speak its language, regard it as a thinkable, endurable, arrangeable fact; to eat it by day, and sleep on it—yes, and soundly—at night.

the action of opposing something that you disapprove or disagree with

From this reading She had had her great hour of resistance, when, alone, exposed and defenceless, she had held back the enemy and broken his strength.

past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

From this reading By virtue of some gift of adaptation which seemed forever to discredit human sensibility, people were already beginning to live into the monstrous idea of it, acquire its ways, speak its language, regard it as a thinkable, endurable, arrangeable fact; to eat it by day, and sleep on it—yes, and soundly—at night.

mental responsiveness and awareness

From this reading By virtue of some gift of adaptation which seemed forever to discredit human sensibility, people were already beginning to live into the monstrous idea of it, acquire its ways, speak its language, regard it as a thinkable, endurable, arrangeable fact; to eat it by day, and sleep on it—yes, and soundly—at night.

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading She had had her great hour of resistance, when, alone, exposed and defenceless, she had held back the enemy and broken his strength.

a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended

From this reading By virtue of some gift of adaptation which seemed forever to discredit human sensibility, people were already beginning to live into the monstrous idea of it, acquire its ways, speak its language, regard it as a thinkable, endurable, arrangeable fact; to eat it by day, and sleep on it—yes, and soundly—at night.

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading By virtue of some gift of adaptation which seemed forever to discredit human sensibility, people were already beginning to live into the monstrous idea of it, acquire its ways, speak its language, regard it as a thinkable, endurable, arrangeable fact; to eat it by day, and sleep on it—yes, and soundly—at night.

deeply or completely

From this reading By virtue of some gift of adaptation which seemed forever to discredit human sensibility, people were already beginning to live into the monstrous idea of it, acquire its ways, speak its language, regard it as a thinkable, endurable, arrangeable fact; to eat it by day, and sleep on it—yes, and soundly—at night.

express in speech

From this reading By virtue of some gift of adaptation which seemed forever to discredit human sensibility, people were already beginning to live into the monstrous idea of it, acquire its ways, speak its language, regard it as a thinkable, endurable, arrangeable fact; to eat it by day, and sleep on it—yes, and soundly—at night.

the property of being physically or mentally strong

From this reading She had had her great hour of resistance, when, alone, exposed and defenceless, she had held back the enemy and broken his strength.

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading She had had, afterward, her hour of triumph, the hour of the Marne; then her hour of passionate and prayerful hope, when it seemed to the watching nations that the enemy was not only held back but thrust back, and victory finally in reach.

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

From this reading X The war was three months old—three centuries.

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading She had had, afterward, her hour of triumph, the hour of the Marne; then her hour of passionate and prayerful hope, when it seemed to the watching nations that the enemy was not only held back but thrust back, and victory finally in reach.

capable of being conceived or imagined or considered

From this reading By virtue of some gift of adaptation which seemed forever to discredit human sensibility, people were already beginning to live into the monstrous idea of it, acquire its ways, speak its language, regard it as a thinkable, endurable, arrangeable fact; to eat it by day, and sleep on it—yes, and soundly—at night.

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one

From this reading X The war was three months old—three centuries.

push forcefully

From this reading She had had, afterward, her hour of triumph, the hour of the Marne; then her hour of passionate and prayerful hope, when it seemed to the watching nations that the enemy was not only held back but thrust back, and victory finally in reach.

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

From this reading By virtue of some gift of adaptation which seemed forever to discredit human sensibility, people were already beginning to live into the monstrous idea of it, acquire its ways, speak its language, regard it as a thinkable, endurable, arrangeable fact; to eat it by day, and sleep on it—yes, and soundly—at night.

a successful ending of a struggle or contest

From this reading She had had, afterward, her hour of triumph, the hour of the Marne; then her hour of passionate and prayerful hope, when it seemed to the watching nations that the enemy was not only held back but thrust back, and victory finally in reach.

a successful ending of a struggle or contest

From this reading She had had, afterward, her hour of triumph, the hour of the Marne; then her hour of passionate and prayerful hope, when it seemed to the watching nations that the enemy was not only held back but thrust back, and victory finally in reach.

Moral excellence and goodness of character; the highest human attainment in Stoic philosophy.

From this reading By virtue of some gift of adaptation which seemed forever to discredit human sensibility, people were already beginning to live into the monstrous idea of it, acquire its ways, speak its language, regard it as a thinkable, endurable, arrangeable fact; to eat it by day, and sleep on it—yes, and soundly—at night.

the waging of armed conflict against an enemy

From this reading X The war was three months old—three centuries.

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading X The war was three months old—three centuries.

the act of observing; taking a patient look

From this reading She had had, afterward, her hour of triumph, the hour of the Marne; then her hour of passionate and prayerful hope, when it seemed to the watching nations that the enemy was not only held back but thrust back, and victory finally in reach.

structure consisting of a sloping way down to the water from the place where ships are built or repaired

From this reading By virtue of some gift of adaptation which seemed forever to discredit human sensibility, people were already beginning to live into the monstrous idea of it, acquire its ways, speak its language, regard it as a thinkable, endurable, arrangeable fact; to eat it by day, and sleep on it—yes, and soundly—at night.

inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading The war went on; life went on; Paris went on.

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading By virtue of some gift of adaptation which seemed forever to discredit human sensibility, people were already beginning to live into the monstrous idea of it, acquire its ways, speak its language, regard it as a thinkable, endurable, arrangeable fact; to eat it by day, and sleep on it—yes, and soundly—at night.

at the time that

From this reading She had had her great hour of resistance, when, alone, exposed and defenceless, she had held back the enemy and broken his strength.

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading By virtue of some gift of adaptation which seemed forever to discredit human sensibility, people were already beginning to live into the monstrous idea of it, acquire its ways, speak its language, regard it as a thinkable, endurable, arrangeable fact; to eat it by day, and sleep on it—yes, and soundly—at night.

the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system

From this reading X The war was three months old—three centuries.

an affirmative

From this reading By virtue of some gift of adaptation which seemed forever to discredit human sensibility, people were already beginning to live into the monstrous idea of it, acquire its ways, speak its language, regard it as a thinkable, endurable, arrangeable fact; to eat it by day, and sleep on it—yes, and soundly—at night.