used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A DARING ATTEMPT.
agitationnounUS /ˌædʒəˈteɪʃən/
a mental state of extreme emotional disturbance
From this reading Another day of suspense and agitation had passed.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading An Envoy had appeared, and a letter couched in the usual terms of studied Chinese politeness, purporting to be from Prince Ching, had been discovered posted on the gates.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Another day of suspense and agitation had passed.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading Another day of suspense and agitation had passed.
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading An Envoy had appeared, and a letter couched in the usual terms of studied Chinese politeness, purporting to be from Prince Ching, had been discovered posted on the gates.
earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading A DARING ATTEMPT.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading An Envoy had appeared, and a letter couched in the usual terms of studied Chinese politeness, purporting to be from Prince Ching, had been discovered posted on the gates.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading An Envoy had appeared, and a letter couched in the usual terms of studied Chinese politeness, purporting to be from Prince Ching, had been discovered posted on the gates.
in addition to; as well as
From this reading It was a hot, sultry night, but in the Legations people had other things to think of besides the weather.
physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split
From this reading They were grieved indeed that the foreigners had broken the peace by firing on their troops, thus stirring up unfriendly relations!
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading It was a hot, sultry night, but in the Legations people had other things to think of besides the weather.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading They were grieved indeed that the foreigners had broken the peace by firing on their troops, thus stirring up unfriendly relations!
ChinesenounUS /tʃaɪˈniːz/
any of the Sino-Tibetan languages spoken in China; regarded as dialects of a single language (even though they are mutually unintelligible) because they share an ideographic writing system
From this reading An Envoy had appeared, and a letter couched in the usual terms of studied Chinese politeness, purporting to be from Prince Ching, had been discovered posted on the gates.
Ching
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading An Envoy had appeared, and a letter couched in the usual terms of studied Chinese politeness, purporting to be from Prince Ching, had been discovered posted on the gates.
couchedverbUS /kaʊtʃt/
past form of “couch” — formulate in a particular style or language
From this reading An Envoy had appeared, and a letter couched in the usual terms of studied Chinese politeness, purporting to be from Prince Ching, had been discovered posted on the gates.
a challenge to do something dangerous or foolhardy
From this reading A DARING ATTEMPT.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading Another day of suspense and agitation had passed.
discovered or determined by scientific observation
From this reading An Envoy had appeared, and a letter couched in the usual terms of studied Chinese politeness, purporting to be from Prince Ching, had been discovered posted on the gates.
EnvoynounUS /ˈenvɔɪ/
a diplomat having less authority than an ambassador
From this reading An Envoy had appeared, and a letter couched in the usual terms of studied Chinese politeness, purporting to be from Prince Ching, had been discovered posted on the gates.
firingnounUS /ˈfaɪrɪŋ/
the act of firing weapons or artillery at an enemy
From this reading They were grieved indeed that the foreigners had broken the peace by firing on their troops, thus stirring up unfriendly relations!
foreignersnounUS /ˈfɔːrənərz/
plural of “foreigner” — a person who comes from a foreign country; someone who does not owe allegiance to your country
From this reading They were grieved indeed that the foreigners had broken the peace by firing on their troops, thus stirring up unfriendly relations!
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading An Envoy had appeared, and a letter couched in the usual terms of studied Chinese politeness, purporting to be from Prince Ching, had been discovered posted on the gates.
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 An Envoy had appeared, and a letter couched in the usual terms of studied Chinese politeness, purporting to be from Prince Ching, had been discovered posted on the gates.
grievedverbUS /ɡriːvd/
past form of “grieve” — feel grief
From this reading They were grieved indeed that the foreigners had broken the peace by firing on their troops, thus stirring up unfriendly relations!
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It was a hot, sultry night, but in the Legations people had other things to think of besides the weather.
used of physical heat; having a high or higher than desirable temperature or giving off heat or feeling or causing a sensation of heat or burning
From this reading It was a hot, sultry night, but in the Legations people had other things to think of besides the weather.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It was a hot, sultry night, but in the Legations people had other things to think of besides the weather.
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading They were grieved indeed that the foreigners had broken the peace by firing on their troops, thus stirring up unfriendly relations!
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was a hot, sultry night, but in the Legations people had other things to think of besides the weather.
Legations
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was a hot, sultry night, but in the Legations people had other things to think of besides the weather.
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading An Envoy had appeared, and a letter couched in the usual terms of studied Chinese politeness, purporting to be from Prince Ching, had been discovered posted on the gates.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading It was a hot, sultry night, but in the Legations people had other things to think of besides the weather.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was a hot, sultry night, but in the Legations people had other things to think of besides the weather.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading An Envoy had appeared, and a letter couched in the usual terms of studied Chinese politeness, purporting to be from Prince Ching, had been discovered posted on the gates.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading It was a hot, sultry night, but in the Legations people had other things to think of besides the weather.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading Another day of suspense and agitation had passed.
the state prevailing during the absence of war
From this reading They were grieved indeed that the foreigners had broken the peace by firing on their troops, thus stirring up unfriendly relations!
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading It was a hot, sultry night, but in the Legations people had other things to think of besides the weather.
politenessnounUS /pəˈlaɪtnəs/
a courteous manner that respects accepted social usage
From this reading An Envoy had appeared, and a letter couched in the usual terms of studied Chinese politeness, purporting to be from Prince Ching, had been discovered posted on the gates.
postedadjectiveUS /ˈpoʊstɪd/
publicly displayed
From this reading An Envoy had appeared, and a letter couched in the usual terms of studied Chinese politeness, purporting to be from Prince Ching, had been discovered posted on the gates.
a male member of a royal family other than the sovereign (especially the son of a sovereign)
From this reading An Envoy had appeared, and a letter couched in the usual terms of studied Chinese politeness, purporting to be from Prince Ching, had been discovered posted on the gates.
purportingverbUS /pərˈpɔːrtɪŋ/
-ing form of “purport” — have the often specious appearance of being, intending, or claiming
From this reading An Envoy had appeared, and a letter couched in the usual terms of studied Chinese politeness, purporting to be from Prince Ching, had been discovered posted on the gates.
mutual dealings or connections or communications among persons or groups
From this reading They were grieved indeed that the foreigners had broken the peace by firing on their troops, thus stirring up unfriendly relations!
stirringnounUS /ˈstɜːrɪŋ/
agitating a liquid with an implement
From this reading They were grieved indeed that the foreigners had broken the peace by firing on their troops, thus stirring up unfriendly relations!
produced or marked by conscious design or premeditation
From this reading An Envoy had appeared, and a letter couched in the usual terms of studied Chinese politeness, purporting to be from Prince Ching, had been discovered posted on the gates.
sultryadjectiveUS /ˈsʌltri/
sexually exciting or gratifying
From this reading It was a hot, sultry night, but in the Legations people had other things to think of besides the weather.
suspensenounUS /səˈspens/
apprehension about what is going to happen
From this reading Another day of suspense and agitation had passed.
status with respect to the relations between people or groups
From this reading An Envoy had appeared, and a letter couched in the usual terms of studied Chinese politeness, purporting to be from Prince Ching, had been discovered posted on the gates.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading They were grieved indeed that the foreigners had broken the peace by firing on their troops, thus stirring up unfriendly relations!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It was a hot, sultry night, but in the Legations people had other things to think of besides the weather.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading They were grieved indeed that the foreigners had broken the peace by firing on their troops, thus stirring up unfriendly relations!
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They were grieved indeed that the foreigners had broken the peace by firing on their troops, thus stirring up unfriendly relations!
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading It was a hot, sultry night, but in the Legations people had other things to think of besides the weather.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading It was a hot, sultry night, but in the Legations people had other things to think of besides the weather.
(used to introduce a logical conclusion) from that fact or reason or as a result
From this reading They were grieved indeed that the foreigners had broken the peace by firing on their troops, thus stirring up unfriendly relations!
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It was a hot, sultry night, but in the Legations people had other things to think of besides the weather.
soldiers collectively
From this reading They were grieved indeed that the foreigners had broken the peace by firing on their troops, thus stirring up unfriendly relations!
unfriendlyadjectiveUS /ənˈfrendli/
not easy to understand or use
From this reading They were grieved indeed that the foreigners had broken the peace by firing on their troops, thus stirring up unfriendly relations!
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading They were grieved indeed that the foreigners had broken the peace by firing on their troops, thus stirring up unfriendly relations!
usualadjectiveUS /ˈjuːʒəwəl/
occurring or encountered or experienced or observed frequently or in accordance with regular practice or procedure
From this reading An Envoy had appeared, and a letter couched in the usual terms of studied Chinese politeness, purporting to be from Prince Ching, had been discovered posted on the gates.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was a hot, sultry night, but in the Legations people had other things to think of besides the weather.
the atmospheric conditions that comprise the state of the atmosphere in terms of temperature and wind and clouds and precipitation
From this reading It was a hot, sultry night, but in the Legations people had other things to think of besides the weather.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They were grieved indeed that the foreigners had broken the peace by firing on their troops, thus stirring up unfriendly relations!
