Chapter XXVI

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

From this reading She arrived there one night after dark, a darkness out from which high walls loomed and over them strange sounds came; the thin wail of stringed instruments; a tom-tom throbbing through the blue night; the plaintive song of some itinerant musician, and the shuffle of crowded human life.

later than; following

From this reading She arrived there one night after dark, a darkness out from which high walls loomed and over them strange sounds came; the thin wail of stringed instruments; a tom-tom throbbing through the blue night; the plaintive song of some itinerant musician, and the shuffle of crowded human life.

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

From this reading She arrived there one night after dark, a darkness out from which high walls loomed and over them strange sounds came; the thin wail of stringed instruments; a tom-tom throbbing through the blue night; the plaintive song of some itinerant musician, and the shuffle of crowded human life.

past form of “approach” — move towards

From this reading A big horse-shoe arch loomed up, with heavy iron gates; gates that clanged back as they approached.

a curved shape in the vertical plane that spans an opening

From this reading A big horse-shoe arch loomed up, with heavy iron gates; gates that clanged back as they approached.

past form of “arrive” — reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress

From this reading She arrived there one night after dark, a darkness out from which high walls loomed and over them strange sounds came; the thin wail of stringed instruments; a tom-tom throbbing through the blue night; the plaintive song of some itinerant musician, and the shuffle of crowded human life.

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

From this reading A big horse-shoe arch loomed up, with heavy iron gates; gates that clanged back as they approached.

in or to or toward a former location

From this reading A big horse-shoe arch loomed up, with heavy iron gates; gates that clanged back as they approached.

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

From this reading By the time the news of the disappearance of Sir George Barclay's party reached England, Pansy was well on her way to El-Ammeh.

above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading A big horse-shoe arch loomed up, with heavy iron gates; gates that clanged back as they approached.

of the color intermediate between green and violet; having a color similar to that of a clear unclouded sky

From this reading She arrived there one night after dark, a darkness out from which high walls loomed and over them strange sounds came; the thin wail of stringed instruments; a tom-tom throbbing through the blue night; the plaintive song of some itinerant musician, and the shuffle of crowded human life.

showing who or what does the action

From this reading By the time the news of the disappearance of Sir George Barclay's party reached England, Pansy was well on her way to El-Ammeh.

inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading She arrived there one night after dark, a darkness out from which high walls loomed and over them strange sounds came; the thin wail of stringed instruments; a tom-tom throbbing through the blue night; the plaintive song of some itinerant musician, and the shuffle of crowded human life.

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

From this reading A big horse-shoe arch loomed up, with heavy iron gates; gates that clanged back as they approached.

overfilled or compacted or concentrated

From this reading She arrived there one night after dark, a darkness out from which high walls loomed and over them strange sounds came; the thin wail of stringed instruments; a tom-tom throbbing through the blue night; the plaintive song of some itinerant musician, and the shuffle of crowded human life.

absence of light or illumination

From this reading She arrived there one night after dark, a darkness out from which high walls loomed and over them strange sounds came; the thin wail of stringed instruments; a tom-tom throbbing through the blue night; the plaintive song of some itinerant musician, and the shuffle of crowded human life.

absence of light or illumination

From this reading She arrived there one night after dark, a darkness out from which high walls loomed and over them strange sounds came; the thin wail of stringed instruments; a tom-tom throbbing through the blue night; the plaintive song of some itinerant musician, and the shuffle of crowded human life.

the act of leaving secretly or without explanation

From this reading By the time the news of the disappearance of Sir George Barclay's party reached England, Pansy was well on her way to El-Ammeh.

think moodily or anxiously about something

From this reading She was not given much time to dwell upon those things.

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

From this reading By the time the news of the disappearance of Sir George Barclay's party reached England, Pansy was well on her way to El-Ammeh.

a division of the United Kingdom

From this reading By the time the news of the disappearance of Sir George Barclay's party reached England, Pansy was well on her way to El-Ammeh.

someone who escorts and protects a prominent person

From this reading Her escort skirted the high walls.

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading She arrived there one night after dark, a darkness out from which high walls loomed and over them strange sounds came; the thin wail of stringed instruments; a tom-tom throbbing through the blue night; the plaintive song of some itinerant musician, and the shuffle of crowded human life.

United States computer entrepreneur whose software company made him the youngest multi-billionaire in the history of the United States (born in 1955)

From this reading A big horse-shoe arch loomed up, with heavy iron gates; gates that clanged back as they approached.

Christian martyr; patron saint of England; hero of the legend of Saint George and the Dragon in which he slew a dragon and saved a princess (?-303)

From this reading By the time the news of the disappearance of Sir George Barclay's party reached England, Pansy was well on her way to El-Ammeh.

acknowledged as a supposition

From this reading She was not given much time to dwell upon those things.

of comparatively great physical weight or density

From this reading A big horse-shoe arch loomed up, with heavy iron gates; gates that clanged back as they approached.

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

From this reading By the time the news of the disappearance of Sir George Barclay's party reached England, Pansy was well on her way to El-Ammeh.

greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount

From this reading She arrived there one night after dark, a darkness out from which high walls loomed and over them strange sounds came; the thin wail of stringed instruments; a tom-tom throbbing through the blue night; the plaintive song of some itinerant musician, and the shuffle of crowded human life.

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

From this reading A big horse-shoe arch loomed up, with heavy iron gates; gates that clanged back as they approached.

characteristic of humanity

From this reading She arrived there one night after dark, a darkness out from which high walls loomed and over them strange sounds came; the thin wail of stringed instruments; a tom-tom throbbing through the blue night; the plaintive song of some itinerant musician, and the shuffle of crowded human life.

plural of “instrument” — a device that requires skill for proper use

From this reading She arrived there one night after dark, a darkness out from which high walls loomed and over them strange sounds came; the thin wail of stringed instruments; a tom-tom throbbing through the blue night; the plaintive song of some itinerant musician, and the shuffle of crowded human life.

a heavy ductile magnetic metallic element; is silver-white in pure form but readily rusts; used in construction and tools and armament; plays a role in the transport of oxygen by the blood

From this reading A big horse-shoe arch loomed up, with heavy iron gates; gates that clanged back as they approached.

a laborer who moves from place to place as demanded by employment

From this reading She arrived there one night after dark, a darkness out from which high walls loomed and over them strange sounds came; the thin wail of stringed instruments; a tom-tom throbbing through the blue night; the plaintive song of some itinerant musician, and the shuffle of crowded human life.

a characteristic state or mode of living

From this reading She arrived there one night after dark, a darkness out from which high walls loomed and over them strange sounds came; the thin wail of stringed instruments; a tom-tom throbbing through the blue night; the plaintive song of some itinerant musician, and the shuffle of crowded human life.

past form of “loom” — come into view indistinctly, often threateningly

From this reading She arrived there one night after dark, a darkness out from which high walls loomed and over them strange sounds came; the thin wail of stringed instruments; a tom-tom throbbing through the blue night; the plaintive song of some itinerant musician, and the shuffle of crowded human life.

to a great degree or extent

From this reading She was not given much time to dwell upon those things.

someone who plays a musical instrument (as a profession)

From this reading She arrived there one night after dark, a darkness out from which high walls loomed and over them strange sounds came; the thin wail of stringed instruments; a tom-tom throbbing through the blue night; the plaintive song of some itinerant musician, and the shuffle of crowded human life.

information about recent and important events

From this reading By the time the news of the disappearance of Sir George Barclay's party reached England, Pansy was well on her way to El-Ammeh.

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

From this reading She arrived there one night after dark, a darkness out from which high walls loomed and over them strange sounds came; the thin wail of stringed instruments; a tom-tom throbbing through the blue night; the plaintive song of some itinerant musician, and the shuffle of crowded human life.

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading She was not given much time to dwell upon those things.

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading By the time the news of the disappearance of Sir George Barclay's party reached England, Pansy was well on her way to El-Ammeh.

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading By the time the news of the disappearance of Sir George Barclay's party reached England, Pansy was well on her way to El-Ammeh.

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading She arrived there one night after dark, a darkness out from which high walls loomed and over them strange sounds came; the thin wail of stringed instruments; a tom-tom throbbing through the blue night; the plaintive song of some itinerant musician, and the shuffle of crowded human life.

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading She arrived there one night after dark, a darkness out from which high walls loomed and over them strange sounds came; the thin wail of stringed instruments; a tom-tom throbbing through the blue night; the plaintive song of some itinerant musician, and the shuffle of crowded human life.

above and across; more than

From this reading She arrived there one night after dark, a darkness out from which high walls loomed and over them strange sounds came; the thin wail of stringed instruments; a tom-tom throbbing through the blue night; the plaintive song of some itinerant musician, and the shuffle of crowded human life.

large-flowered garden plant derived chiefly from the wild pansy of Europe and having velvety petals of various colors

From this reading By the time the news of the disappearance of Sir George Barclay's party reached England, Pansy was well on her way to El-Ammeh.

an organization to gain political power

From this reading By the time the news of the disappearance of Sir George Barclay's party reached England, Pansy was well on her way to El-Ammeh.

expressing sorrow

From this reading She arrived there one night after dark, a darkness out from which high walls loomed and over them strange sounds came; the thin wail of stringed instruments; a tom-tom throbbing through the blue night; the plaintive song of some itinerant musician, and the shuffle of crowded human life.

past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract

From this reading By the time the news of the disappearance of Sir George Barclay's party reached England, Pansy was well on her way to El-Ammeh.

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

From this reading She arrived there one night after dark, a darkness out from which high walls loomed and over them strange sounds came; the thin wail of stringed instruments; a tom-tom throbbing through the blue night; the plaintive song of some itinerant musician, and the shuffle of crowded human life.

walk by dragging one's feet

From this reading She arrived there one night after dark, a darkness out from which high walls loomed and over them strange sounds came; the thin wail of stringed instruments; a tom-tom throbbing through the blue night; the plaintive song of some itinerant musician, and the shuffle of crowded human life.

term of address for a man

From this reading By the time the news of the disappearance of Sir George Barclay's party reached England, Pansy was well on her way to El-Ammeh.

past form of “skirt” — avoid or try to avoid fulfilling, answering, or performing (duties, questions, or issues)

From this reading Her escort skirted the high walls.

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

From this reading She arrived there one night after dark, a darkness out from which high walls loomed and over them strange sounds came; the thin wail of stringed instruments; a tom-tom throbbing through the blue night; the plaintive song of some itinerant musician, and the shuffle of crowded human life.

a short musical composition with words

From this reading She arrived there one night after dark, a darkness out from which high walls loomed and over them strange sounds came; the thin wail of stringed instruments; a tom-tom throbbing through the blue night; the plaintive song of some itinerant musician, and the shuffle of crowded human life.

plural of “sound” — the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause

From this reading She arrived there one night after dark, a darkness out from which high walls loomed and over them strange sounds came; the thin wail of stringed instruments; a tom-tom throbbing through the blue night; the plaintive song of some itinerant musician, and the shuffle of crowded human life.

being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird

From this reading She arrived there one night after dark, a darkness out from which high walls loomed and over them strange sounds came; the thin wail of stringed instruments; a tom-tom throbbing through the blue night; the plaintive song of some itinerant musician, and the shuffle of crowded human life.

past form of “string” — thread on or as if on a string

From this reading She arrived there one night after dark, a darkness out from which high walls loomed and over them strange sounds came; the thin wail of stringed instruments; a tom-tom throbbing through the blue night; the plaintive song of some itinerant musician, and the shuffle of crowded human life.

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading A big horse-shoe arch loomed up, with heavy iron gates; gates that clanged back as they approached.

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

From this reading By the time the news of the disappearance of Sir George Barclay's party reached England, Pansy was well on her way to El-Ammeh.

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading She arrived there one night after dark, a darkness out from which high walls loomed and over them strange sounds came; the thin wail of stringed instruments; a tom-tom throbbing through the blue night; the plaintive song of some itinerant musician, and the shuffle of crowded human life.

in or at that place or location

From this reading She arrived there one night after dark, a darkness out from which high walls loomed and over them strange sounds came; the thin wail of stringed instruments; a tom-tom throbbing through the blue night; the plaintive song of some itinerant musician, and the shuffle of crowded human life.

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading A big horse-shoe arch loomed up, with heavy iron gates; gates that clanged back as they approached.

Having little thickness or extent.

From this reading She arrived there one night after dark, a darkness out from which high walls loomed and over them strange sounds came; the thin wail of stringed instruments; a tom-tom throbbing through the blue night; the plaintive song of some itinerant musician, and the shuffle of crowded human life.

any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)

From this reading She was not given much time to dwell upon those things.

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading She was not given much time to dwell upon those things.

an instance of rapid strong pulsation (of the heart)

From this reading She arrived there one night after dark, a darkness out from which high walls loomed and over them strange sounds came; the thin wail of stringed instruments; a tom-tom throbbing through the blue night; the plaintive song of some itinerant musician, and the shuffle of crowded human life.

from one end or side of something to the other

From this reading She arrived there one night after dark, a darkness out from which high walls loomed and over them strange sounds came; the thin wail of stringed instruments; a tom-tom throbbing through the blue night; the plaintive song of some itinerant musician, and the shuffle of crowded human life.

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading By the time the news of the disappearance of Sir George Barclay's party reached England, Pansy was well on her way to El-Ammeh.

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

From this reading By the time the news of the disappearance of Sir George Barclay's party reached England, Pansy was well on her way to El-Ammeh.

any of various drums with small heads

From this reading She arrived there one night after dark, a darkness out from which high walls loomed and over them strange sounds came; the thin wail of stringed instruments; a tom-tom throbbing through the blue night; the plaintive song of some itinerant musician, and the shuffle of crowded human life.

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading A big horse-shoe arch loomed up, with heavy iron gates; gates that clanged back as they approached.

a formal word for “on”

From this reading She was not given much time to dwell upon those things.

emit long loud cries

From this reading She arrived there one night after dark, a darkness out from which high walls loomed and over them strange sounds came; the thin wail of stringed instruments; a tom-tom throbbing through the blue night; the plaintive song of some itinerant musician, and the shuffle of crowded human life.

plural of “wall” — an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure

From this reading She arrived there one night after dark, a darkness out from which high walls loomed and over them strange sounds came; the thin wail of stringed instruments; a tom-tom throbbing through the blue night; the plaintive song of some itinerant musician, and the shuffle of crowded human life.

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

From this reading By the time the news of the disappearance of Sir George Barclay's party reached England, Pansy was well on her way to El-Ammeh.

how something is done or how it happens

From this reading By the time the news of the disappearance of Sir George Barclay's party reached England, Pansy was well on her way to El-Ammeh.

(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)

From this reading By the time the news of the disappearance of Sir George Barclay's party reached England, Pansy was well on her way to El-Ammeh.

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

From this reading She arrived there one night after dark, a darkness out from which high walls loomed and over them strange sounds came; the thin wail of stringed instruments; a tom-tom throbbing through the blue night; the plaintive song of some itinerant musician, and the shuffle of crowded human life.

in the company of; together with

From this reading A big horse-shoe arch loomed up, with heavy iron gates; gates that clanged back as they approached.