used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Each one seemed to fall separately upon his sense with its own little shock of surprise, though the idea they conveyed had been long, in a vague way, familiar to his mind.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading But it is true that he had never before framed this idea in words, nor imagined it as it now presented itself, an incongruous and inevitable fact.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading HAMLET "When we are man and wife."
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading HAMLET "When we are man and wife."
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading But it is true that he had never before framed this idea in words, nor imagined it as it now presented itself, an incongruous and inevitable fact.
assertverbUS /əˈsɜːrt/
state categorically
From this reading It would be idle to assert that he had drifted blindly to this end and that he now for the first time realized the significance and result of his passion.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It would be idle to assert that he had drifted blindly to this end and that he now for the first time realized the significance and result of his passion.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Each one seemed to fall separately upon his sense with its own little shock of surprise, though the idea they conveyed had been long, in a vague way, familiar to his mind.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading But it is true that he had never before framed this idea in words, nor imagined it as it now presented itself, an incongruous and inevitable fact.
blindlyadverbUS /ˈblaɪndli/
without seeing or looking
From this reading It would be idle to assert that he had drifted blindly to this end and that he now for the first time realized the significance and result of his passion.
that part of the central nervous system that includes all the higher nervous centers; enclosed within the skull; continuous with the spinal cord
From this reading These half-dozen words kept ringing in Goethe's ears and haunting persistently his brain.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But it is true that he had never before framed this idea in words, nor imagined it as it now presented itself, an incongruous and inevitable fact.
conveyedverbUS /kənˈveɪd/
past form of “convey” — (of information) make known; pass on
From this reading Each one seemed to fall separately upon his sense with its own little shock of surprise, though the idea they conveyed had been long, in a vague way, familiar to his mind.
driftedverbUS /ˈdrɪftəd/
past form of “drift” — be in motion due to some air or water current
From this reading It would be idle to assert that he had drifted blindly to this end and that he now for the first time realized the significance and result of his passion.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading Each one seemed to fall separately upon his sense with its own little shock of surprise, though the idea they conveyed had been long, in a vague way, familiar to his mind.
plural of “ear” — the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading These half-dozen words kept ringing in Goethe's ears and haunting persistently his brain.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading It would be idle to assert that he had drifted blindly to this end and that he now for the first time realized the significance and result of his passion.
a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading But it is true that he had never before framed this idea in words, nor imagined it as it now presented itself, an incongruous and inevitable fact.
descend in free fall under the influence of gravity
From this reading Each one seemed to fall separately upon his sense with its own little shock of surprise, though the idea they conveyed had been long, in a vague way, familiar to his mind.
well known or easily recognized
From this reading Each one seemed to fall separately upon his sense with its own little shock of surprise, though the idea they conveyed had been long, in a vague way, familiar to his mind.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading It would be idle to assert that he had drifted blindly to this end and that he now for the first time realized the significance and result of his passion.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading It would be idle to assert that he had drifted blindly to this end and that he now for the first time realized the significance and result of his passion.
framedadjectiveUS /freɪmd/
provided with a frame
From this reading But it is true that he had never before framed this idea in words, nor imagined it as it now presented itself, an incongruous and inevitable fact.
Goethe's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading These half-dozen words kept ringing in Goethe's ears and haunting persistently his brain.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Each one seemed to fall separately upon his sense with its own little shock of surprise, though the idea they conveyed had been long, in a vague way, familiar to his mind.
half-dozenadjectiveUS /ˈhæfdʌzən/
denoting a quantity consisting of six items or units
From this reading These half-dozen words kept ringing in Goethe's ears and haunting persistently his brain.
HAMLETnounUS /ˈhæmlət/
a community of people smaller than a village
From this reading HAMLET "When we are man and wife."
hauntingadjectiveUS /ˈhɔːntɪŋ/
continually recurring to the mind
From this reading These half-dozen words kept ringing in Goethe's ears and haunting persistently his brain.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It would be idle to assert that he had drifted blindly to this end and that he now for the first time realized the significance and result of his passion.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading These half-dozen words kept ringing in Goethe's ears and haunting persistently his brain.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading Each one seemed to fall separately upon his sense with its own little shock of surprise, though the idea they conveyed had been long, in a vague way, familiar to his mind.
not in action or at work
From this reading It would be idle to assert that he had drifted blindly to this end and that he now for the first time realized the significance and result of his passion.
past form of “imagine” — form a mental image of something that is not present or that is not the case
From this reading But it is true that he had never before framed this idea in words, nor imagined it as it now presented itself, an incongruous and inevitable fact.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading These half-dozen words kept ringing in Goethe's ears and haunting persistently his brain.
incongruousadjectiveUS /ˌɪŋˈkɔːŋruːəs/
lacking in harmony or compatibility or appropriateness
From this reading But it is true that he had never before framed this idea in words, nor imagined it as it now presented itself, an incongruous and inevitable fact.
inevitableadjectiveUS /ˌɪˈnevətəbəl/
incapable of being avoided or prevented
From this reading But it is true that he had never before framed this idea in words, nor imagined it as it now presented itself, an incongruous and inevitable fact.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But it is true that he had never before framed this idea in words, nor imagined it as it now presented itself, an incongruous and inevitable fact.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It would be idle to assert that he had drifted blindly to this end and that he now for the first time realized the significance and result of his passion.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading Each one seemed to fall separately upon his sense with its own little shock of surprise, though the idea they conveyed had been long, in a vague way, familiar to his mind.
used when the thing doing the action is also its object
From this reading But it is true that he had never before framed this idea in words, nor imagined it as it now presented itself, an incongruous and inevitable fact.
(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded
From this reading These half-dozen words kept ringing in Goethe's ears and haunting persistently his brain.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Each one seemed to fall separately upon his sense with its own little shock of surprise, though the idea they conveyed had been long, in a vague way, familiar to his mind.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading Each one seemed to fall separately upon his sense with its own little shock of surprise, though the idea they conveyed had been long, in a vague way, familiar to his mind.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading HAMLET "When we are man and wife."
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading Each one seemed to fall separately upon his sense with its own little shock of surprise, though the idea they conveyed had been long, in a vague way, familiar to his mind.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading But it is true that he had never before framed this idea in words, nor imagined it as it now presented itself, an incongruous and inevitable fact.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading But it is true that he had never before framed this idea in words, nor imagined it as it now presented itself, an incongruous and inevitable fact.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading It would be idle to assert that he had drifted blindly to this end and that he now for the first time realized the significance and result of his passion.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Each one seemed to fall separately upon his sense with its own little shock of surprise, though the idea they conveyed had been long, in a vague way, familiar to his mind.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Each one seemed to fall separately upon his sense with its own little shock of surprise, though the idea they conveyed had been long, in a vague way, familiar to his mind.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading Each one seemed to fall separately upon his sense with its own little shock of surprise, though the idea they conveyed had been long, in a vague way, familiar to his mind.
a strong feeling or emotion
From this reading It would be idle to assert that he had drifted blindly to this end and that he now for the first time realized the significance and result of his passion.
persistentlyadverbUS /pərˈsɪstəntli/
in a persistent manner
From this reading These half-dozen words kept ringing in Goethe's ears and haunting persistently his brain.
past form of “present” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading But it is true that he had never before framed this idea in words, nor imagined it as it now presented itself, an incongruous and inevitable fact.
successfully completed or brought to an end
From this reading It would be idle to assert that he had drifted blindly to this end and that he now for the first time realized the significance and result of his passion.
a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon
From this reading It would be idle to assert that he had drifted blindly to this end and that he now for the first time realized the significance and result of his passion.
ringingnounUS /ˈrɪŋɪŋ/
the sound of a bell ringing
From this reading These half-dozen words kept ringing in Goethe's ears and haunting persistently his brain.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Each one seemed to fall separately upon his sense with its own little shock of surprise, though the idea they conveyed had been long, in a vague way, familiar to his mind.
a general conscious awareness
From this reading Each one seemed to fall separately upon his sense with its own little shock of surprise, though the idea they conveyed had been long, in a vague way, familiar to his mind.
separatelyadverbUS /ˈsepərətli/
apart from others
From this reading Each one seemed to fall separately upon his sense with its own little shock of surprise, though the idea they conveyed had been long, in a vague way, familiar to his mind.
the feeling of distress and disbelief that you have when something bad happens accidentally
From this reading Each one seemed to fall separately upon his sense with its own little shock of surprise, though the idea they conveyed had been long, in a vague way, familiar to his mind.
significancenounUS /səɡˈnɪfɪkəns/
the quality of being significant
From this reading It would be idle to assert that he had drifted blindly to this end and that he now for the first time realized the significance and result of his passion.
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading Each one seemed to fall separately upon his sense with its own little shock of surprise, though the idea they conveyed had been long, in a vague way, familiar to his mind.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It would be idle to assert that he had drifted blindly to this end and that he now for the first time realized the significance and result of his passion.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Each one seemed to fall separately upon his sense with its own little shock of surprise, though the idea they conveyed had been long, in a vague way, familiar to his mind.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading These half-dozen words kept ringing in Goethe's ears and haunting persistently his brain.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Each one seemed to fall separately upon his sense with its own little shock of surprise, though the idea they conveyed had been long, in a vague way, familiar to his mind.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading It would be idle to assert that he had drifted blindly to this end and that he now for the first time realized the significance and result of his passion.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading Each one seemed to fall separately upon his sense with its own little shock of surprise, though the idea they conveyed had been long, in a vague way, familiar to his mind.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading It would be idle to assert that he had drifted blindly to this end and that he now for the first time realized the significance and result of his passion.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Each one seemed to fall separately upon his sense with its own little shock of surprise, though the idea they conveyed had been long, in a vague way, familiar to his mind.
consistent with fact or reality; not false
From this reading But it is true that he had never before framed this idea in words, nor imagined it as it now presented itself, an incongruous and inevitable fact.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Each one seemed to fall separately upon his sense with its own little shock of surprise, though the idea they conveyed had been long, in a vague way, familiar to his mind.
not clearly expressed or understood
From this reading Each one seemed to fall separately upon his sense with its own little shock of surprise, though the idea they conveyed had been long, in a vague way, familiar to his mind.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading Each one seemed to fall separately upon his sense with its own little shock of surprise, though the idea they conveyed had been long, in a vague way, familiar to his mind.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading HAMLET "When we are man and wife."
at the time that
From this reading HAMLET "When we are man and wife."
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading HAMLET "When we are man and wife."
in the company of; together with
From this reading Each one seemed to fall separately upon his sense with its own little shock of surprise, though the idea they conveyed had been long, in a vague way, familiar to his mind.
the words that are spoken
From this reading These half-dozen words kept ringing in Goethe's ears and haunting persistently his brain.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading It would be idle to assert that he had drifted blindly to this end and that he now for the first time realized the significance and result of his passion.
