used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading These words had scarcely passed Rowton’s lips before he abruptly turned and saw a little man crossing the lawn to meet him.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading “Go into the house now,” he said; “go up to your room and unpack your things, or sit by the fire in the library and enjoy a right good read of one of the many novels which are scattered about.
quickly and without warning
From this reading These words had scarcely passed Rowton’s lips before he abruptly turned and saw a little man crossing the lawn to meet him.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading “Scrivener! by all that is unpleasant,” he muttered under his breath.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading These words had scarcely passed Rowton’s lips before he abruptly turned and saw a little man crossing the lawn to meet him.
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “Go into the house now,” he said; “go up to your room and unpack your things, or sit by the fire in the library and enjoy a right good read of one of the many novels which are scattered about.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading These words had scarcely passed Rowton’s lips before he abruptly turned and saw a little man crossing the lawn to meet him.
the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
From this reading “Scrivener! by all that is unpleasant,” he muttered under his breath.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading “Scrivener! by all that is unpleasant,” he muttered under his breath.
traveling across
From this reading These words had scarcely passed Rowton’s lips before he abruptly turned and saw a little man crossing the lawn to meet him.
derive or receive pleasure from; get enjoyment from; take pleasure in
From this reading “Go into the house now,” he said; “go up to your room and unpack your things, or sit by the fire in the library and enjoy a right good read of one of the many novels which are scattered about.
start firing a weapon
From this reading “Go into the house now,” he said; “go up to your room and unpack your things, or sit by the fire in the library and enjoy a right good read of one of the many novels which are scattered about.
made afraid
From this reading He turned to Nancy who, very white and frightened, stood by his side.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading “Go into the house now,” he said; “go up to your room and unpack your things, or sit by the fire in the library and enjoy a right good read of one of the many novels which are scattered about.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading “Go into the house now,” he said; “go up to your room and unpack your things, or sit by the fire in the library and enjoy a right good read of one of the many novels which are scattered about.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading These words had scarcely passed Rowton’s lips before he abruptly turned and saw a little man crossing the lawn to meet him.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading These words had scarcely passed Rowton’s lips before he abruptly turned and saw a little man crossing the lawn to meet him.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading These words had scarcely passed Rowton’s lips before he abruptly turned and saw a little man crossing the lawn to meet him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “Scrivener! by all that is unpleasant,” he muttered under his breath.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading “Go into the house now,” he said; “go up to your room and unpack your things, or sit by the fire in the library and enjoy a right good read of one of the many novels which are scattered about.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “Go into the house now,” he said; “go up to your room and unpack your things, or sit by the fire in the library and enjoy a right good read of one of the many novels which are scattered about.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading “Go into the house now,” he said; “go up to your room and unpack your things, or sit by the fire in the library and enjoy a right good read of one of the many novels which are scattered about.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Scrivener! by all that is unpleasant,” he muttered under his breath.
lawnnounUS /lɔːn/
a field of cultivated and mowed grass
From this reading These words had scarcely passed Rowton’s lips before he abruptly turned and saw a little man crossing the lawn to meet him.
a room where books are kept
From this reading “Go into the house now,” he said; “go up to your room and unpack your things, or sit by the fire in the library and enjoy a right good read of one of the many novels which are scattered about.
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading These words had scarcely passed Rowton’s lips before he abruptly turned and saw a little man crossing the lawn to meet him.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading These words had scarcely passed Rowton’s lips before he abruptly turned and saw a little man crossing the lawn to meet him.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading These words had scarcely passed Rowton’s lips before he abruptly turned and saw a little man crossing the lawn to meet him.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading “Go into the house now,” he said; “go up to your room and unpack your things, or sit by the fire in the library and enjoy a right good read of one of the many novels which are scattered about.
come together
From this reading These words had scarcely passed Rowton’s lips before he abruptly turned and saw a little man crossing the lawn to meet him.
past form of “mutter” — talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice
From this reading “Scrivener! by all that is unpleasant,” he muttered under his breath.
NancynounUS /ˈnænsi/
a city in northeastern France in Lorraine
From this reading He turned to Nancy who, very white and frightened, stood by his side.
novelsnounUS /ˈnɑːvəlz/
plural of “novel” — an extended fictional work in prose; usually in the form of a story
From this reading “Go into the house now,” he said; “go up to your room and unpack your things, or sit by the fire in the library and enjoy a right good read of one of the many novels which are scattered about.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading “Go into the house now,” he said; “go up to your room and unpack your things, or sit by the fire in the library and enjoy a right good read of one of the many novels which are scattered about.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Go into the house now,” he said; “go up to your room and unpack your things, or sit by the fire in the library and enjoy a right good read of one of the many novels which are scattered about.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading “Go into the house now,” he said; “go up to your room and unpack your things, or sit by the fire in the library and enjoy a right good read of one of the many novels which are scattered about.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading “Go into the house now,” he said; “go up to your room and unpack your things, or sit by the fire in the library and enjoy a right good read of one of the many novels which are scattered about.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading These words had scarcely passed Rowton’s lips before he abruptly turned and saw a little man crossing the lawn to meet him.
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading “Go into the house now,” he said; “go up to your room and unpack your things, or sit by the fire in the library and enjoy a right good read of one of the many novels which are scattered about.
precisely, exactly
From this reading “Go into the house now,” he said; “go up to your room and unpack your things, or sit by the fire in the library and enjoy a right good read of one of the many novels which are scattered about.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading “Go into the house now,” he said; “go up to your room and unpack your things, or sit by the fire in the library and enjoy a right good read of one of the many novels which are scattered about.
Rowton's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading These words had scarcely passed Rowton’s lips before he abruptly turned and saw a little man crossing the lawn to meet him.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Go into the house now,” he said; “go up to your room and unpack your things, or sit by the fire in the library and enjoy a right good read of one of the many novels which are scattered about.
cut with a saw
From this reading These words had scarcely passed Rowton’s lips before he abruptly turned and saw a little man crossing the lawn to meet him.
only a very short time before
From this reading These words had scarcely passed Rowton’s lips before he abruptly turned and saw a little man crossing the lawn to meet him.
occurring or distributed over widely spaced and irregular intervals in time or space
From this reading “Go into the house now,” he said; “go up to your room and unpack your things, or sit by the fire in the library and enjoy a right good read of one of the many novels which are scattered about.
ScrivenernounUS /ˈskrɪvnər/
someone employed to make written copies of documents and manuscripts
From this reading “Scrivener! by all that is unpleasant,” he muttered under his breath.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading He turned to Nancy who, very white and frightened, stood by his side.
a soft white precious univalent metallic element having the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of any metal; occurs in argentite and in free form; used in coins and jewelry and tableware and photography
From this reading SILVER.
be seated
From this reading “Go into the house now,” he said; “go up to your room and unpack your things, or sit by the fire in the library and enjoy a right good read of one of the many novels which are scattered about.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading He turned to Nancy who, very white and frightened, stood by his side.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “Scrivener! by all that is unpleasant,” he muttered under his breath.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading These words had scarcely passed Rowton’s lips before he abruptly turned and saw a little man crossing the lawn to meet him.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading These words had scarcely passed Rowton’s lips before he abruptly turned and saw a little man crossing the lawn to meet him.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading “Go into the house now,” he said; “go up to your room and unpack your things, or sit by the fire in the library and enjoy a right good read of one of the many novels which are scattered about.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading These words had scarcely passed Rowton’s lips before he abruptly turned and saw a little man crossing the lawn to meet him.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading These words had scarcely passed Rowton’s lips before he abruptly turned and saw a little man crossing the lawn to meet him.
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading “Scrivener! by all that is unpleasant,” he muttered under his breath.
unpackverbUS /ənˈpæk/
remove from its packing
From this reading “Go into the house now,” he said; “go up to your room and unpack your things, or sit by the fire in the library and enjoy a right good read of one of the many novels which are scattered about.
offensive or disagreeable; causing discomfort or unhappiness
From this reading “Scrivener! by all that is unpleasant,” he muttered under his breath.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading “Go into the house now,” he said; “go up to your room and unpack your things, or sit by the fire in the library and enjoy a right good read of one of the many novels which are scattered about.
precisely as stated
From this reading He turned to Nancy who, very white and frightened, stood by his side.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading “Go into the house now,” he said; “go up to your room and unpack your things, or sit by the fire in the library and enjoy a right good read of one of the many novels which are scattered about.
a Caucasian
From this reading He turned to Nancy who, very white and frightened, stood by his side.
which person or people
From this reading He turned to Nancy who, very white and frightened, stood by his side.
the words that are spoken
From this reading These words had scarcely passed Rowton’s lips before he abruptly turned and saw a little man crossing the lawn to meet him.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Go into the house now,” he said; “go up to your room and unpack your things, or sit by the fire in the library and enjoy a right good read of one of the many novels which are scattered about.
