used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading One morning, about three years after his conviction, Costantino awoke in a bad humour.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading One morning, about three years after his conviction, Costantino awoke in a bad humour.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading One morning, about three years after his conviction, Costantino awoke in a bad humour.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading The heat was oppressive, and the air of the cell was heavy and sickening.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The heat was oppressive, and the air of the cell was heavy and sickening.
inflected form of “awake” — stop sleeping
From this reading One morning, about three years after his conviction, Costantino awoke in a bad humour.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading One morning, about three years after his conviction, Costantino awoke in a bad humour.
Directly under; in or to a lower position than.
From this reading Costantino had slept with Giovanna's last letter beneath his head, and a sad little letter it was; short, and depressing in the extreme.
boy'snounUS /bɔɪz/
possessive form of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading She told of her and her mother's dire poverty, and of the boy's serious illness.
cellnounUS /sel/
A small stone room in a prison where an inmate is locked behind iron bars.
From this reading The heat was oppressive, and the air of the cell was heavy and sickening.
an unshakable belief in something without need for proof or evidence
From this reading One morning, about three years after his conviction, Costantino awoke in a bad humour.
Costantino
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One morning, about three years after his conviction, Costantino awoke in a bad humour.
depressingadjectiveUS /dɪˈpresɪŋ/
causing sad feelings of gloom and inadequacy
From this reading Costantino had slept with Giovanna's last letter beneath his head, and a sad little letter it was; short, and depressing in the extreme.
direadjectiveUS /daɪr/
fraught with extreme danger; nearly hopeless
From this reading She told of her and her mother's dire poverty, and of the boy's serious illness.
of the greatest possible degree or extent or intensity
From this reading Costantino had slept with Giovanna's last letter beneath his head, and a sad little letter it was; short, and depressing in the extreme.
Giovanna's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Costantino had slept with Giovanna's last letter beneath his head, and a sad little letter it was; short, and depressing in the extreme.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Costantino had slept with Giovanna's last letter beneath his head, and a sad little letter it was; short, and depressing in the extreme.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading Costantino had slept with Giovanna's last letter beneath his head, and a sad little letter it was; short, and depressing in the extreme.
a form of energy that is transferred by a difference in temperature
From this reading The heat was oppressive, and the air of the cell was heavy and sickening.
of comparatively great physical weight or density
From this reading The heat was oppressive, and the air of the cell was heavy and sickening.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She told of her and her mother's dire poverty, and of the boy's serious illness.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading One morning, about three years after his conviction, Costantino awoke in a bad humour.
a characteristic (habitual or relatively temporary) state of feeling
From this reading One morning, about three years after his conviction, Costantino awoke in a bad humour.
illnessnounUS /ˈɪlnəs/
impairment of normal physiological function affecting part or all of an organism
From this reading She told of her and her mother's dire poverty, and of the boy's serious illness.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading One morning, about three years after his conviction, Costantino awoke in a bad humour.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Costantino had slept with Giovanna's last letter beneath his head, and a sad little letter it was; short, and depressing in the extreme.
kettlenounUS /ˈketəl/
a metal pot for stewing or boiling; usually has a lid
From this reading One of the prisoners was snoring and puffing like a kettle letting off steam.
immediately past
From this reading Costantino had slept with Giovanna's last letter beneath his head, and a sad little letter it was; short, and depressing in the extreme.
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading Costantino had slept with Giovanna's last letter beneath his head, and a sad little letter it was; short, and depressing in the extreme.
property that is leased or rented out or let
From this reading One of the prisoners was snoring and puffing like a kettle letting off steam.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading One of the prisoners was snoring and puffing like a kettle letting off steam.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Costantino had slept with Giovanna's last letter beneath his head, and a sad little letter it was; short, and depressing in the extreme.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading One morning, about three years after his conviction, Costantino awoke in a bad humour.
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 She told of her and her mother's dire poverty, and of the boy's serious illness.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The heat was oppressive, and the air of the cell was heavy and sickening.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading One of the prisoners was snoring and puffing like a kettle letting off steam.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One morning, about three years after his conviction, Costantino awoke in a bad humour.
oppressiveadjectiveUS /əˈpresɪv/
weighing heavily on the senses or spirit
From this reading The heat was oppressive, and the air of the cell was heavy and sickening.
the state of having little or no money and few or no material possessions
From this reading She told of her and her mother's dire poverty, and of the boy's serious illness.
plural of “prisoner” — a person who is confined; especially a prisoner of war
From this reading One of the prisoners was snoring and puffing like a kettle letting off steam.
puffingnounUS /ˈpʌfɪŋ/
blowing tobacco smoke out into the air
From this reading One of the prisoners was snoring and puffing like a kettle letting off steam.
experiencing or showing sorrow or unhappiness
From this reading Costantino had slept with Giovanna's last letter beneath his head, and a sad little letter it was; short, and depressing in the extreme.
concerned with work or important matters rather than play or trivialities
From this reading She told of her and her mother's dire poverty, and of the boy's serious illness.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She told of her and her mother's dire poverty, and of the boy's serious illness.
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading Costantino had slept with Giovanna's last letter beneath his head, and a sad little letter it was; short, and depressing in the extreme.
sickeningadjectiveUS /ˈsɪkənɪŋ/
causing or able to cause nausea
From this reading The heat was oppressive, and the air of the cell was heavy and sickening.
inflected form of “sleep” — be asleep
From this reading Costantino had slept with Giovanna's last letter beneath his head, and a sad little letter it was; short, and depressing in the extreme.
snoringnounUS /ˈsnɔːrɪŋ/
the act of snoring or producing a snoring sound
From this reading One of the prisoners was snoring and puffing like a kettle letting off steam.
steamverbUS /stiːm/
travel by means of steam power
From this reading One of the prisoners was snoring and puffing like a kettle letting off steam.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The heat was oppressive, and the air of the cell was heavy and sickening.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading One morning, about three years after his conviction, Costantino awoke in a bad humour.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading She told of her and her mother's dire poverty, and of the boy's serious illness.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The heat was oppressive, and the air of the cell was heavy and sickening.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Costantino had slept with Giovanna's last letter beneath his head, and a sad little letter it was; short, and depressing in the extreme.
a late time of life
From this reading One morning, about three years after his conviction, Costantino awoke in a bad humour.
