used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading SWORD AND DAGGER M. de la Chatre could not have been more surprised if a spirit had risen from the floor at his feet.
abackadverbUS /əˈbæk/
having the wind against the forward side of the sails
From this reading Montignac, who stood beside her, was as much taken aback as La Chatre was, but was quicker to comprehend the situation.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading SWORD AND DAGGER M. de la Chatre could not have been more surprised if a spirit had risen from the floor at his feet.
weapons considered collectively
From this reading I had sheathed my sword while behind the curtains, and now I stood motionless, with folded arms, before him.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Montignac, who stood beside her, was as much taken aback as La Chatre was, but was quicker to comprehend the situation.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading SWORD AND DAGGER M. de la Chatre could not have been more surprised if a spirit had risen from the floor at his feet.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading SWORD AND DAGGER M. de la Chatre could not have been more surprised if a spirit had risen from the floor at his feet.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading I had sheathed my sword while behind the curtains, and now I stood motionless, with folded arms, before him.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading I had sheathed my sword while behind the curtains, and now I stood motionless, with folded arms, before him.
next to; at the side of
From this reading Montignac, who stood beside her, was as much taken aback as La Chatre was, but was quicker to comprehend the situation.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Montignac, who stood beside her, was as much taken aback as La Chatre was, but was quicker to comprehend the situation.
Chatre
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading SWORD AND DAGGER M. de la Chatre could not have been more surprised if a spirit had risen from the floor at his feet.
comprehendverbUS /ˌkɑːmpriˈhend/
get the meaning of something
From this reading Montignac, who stood beside her, was as much taken aback as La Chatre was, but was quicker to comprehend the situation.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading SWORD AND DAGGER M. de la Chatre could not have been more surprised if a spirit had risen from the floor at his feet.
utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading Mademoiselle uttered a slight cry.
curtainsnounUS /ˈkɜːrtənz/
plural of “curtain” — hanging cloth used as a blind (especially for a window)
From this reading I had sheathed my sword while behind the curtains, and now I stood motionless, with folded arms, before him.
DAGGERnounUS /ˈdæɡ.ər/
A short knife with a pointed and edged blade, used as a stealth weapon.
From this reading SWORD AND DAGGER M. de la Chatre could not have been more surprised if a spirit had risen from the floor at his feet.
a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies
From this reading SWORD AND DAGGER M. de la Chatre could not have been more surprised if a spirit had risen from the floor at his feet.
opinion or judgment
From this reading He stared at me with startled eyes.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading SWORD AND DAGGER M. de la Chatre could not have been more surprised if a spirit had risen from the floor at his feet.
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading SWORD AND DAGGER M. de la Chatre could not have been more surprised if a spirit had risen from the floor at his feet.
past form of “fold” — bend or lay so that one part covers the other
From this reading I had sheathed my sword while behind the curtains, and now I stood motionless, with folded arms, before him.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading SWORD AND DAGGER M. de la Chatre could not have been more surprised if a spirit had risen from the floor at his feet.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading SWORD AND DAGGER M. de la Chatre could not have been more surprised if a spirit had risen from the floor at his feet.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading SWORD AND DAGGER M. de la Chatre could not have been more surprised if a spirit had risen from the floor at his feet.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He stared at me with startled eyes.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Montignac, who stood beside her, was as much taken aback as La Chatre was, but was quicker to comprehend the situation.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I had sheathed my sword while behind the curtains, and now I stood motionless, with folded arms, before him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading SWORD AND DAGGER M. de la Chatre could not have been more surprised if a spirit had risen from the floor at his feet.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I had sheathed my sword while behind the curtains, and now I stood motionless, with folded arms, before him.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading SWORD AND DAGGER M. de la Chatre could not have been more surprised if a spirit had risen from the floor at his feet.
a white soft metallic element that tarnishes readily; occurs in rare earth minerals and is usually classified as a rare earth
From this reading SWORD AND DAGGER M. de la Chatre could not have been more surprised if a spirit had risen from the floor at his feet.
the basic unit of length adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites (approximately 1.094 yards)
From this reading SWORD AND DAGGER M. de la Chatre could not have been more surprised if a spirit had risen from the floor at his feet.
small silvery drumfish often mistaken for white perch; found along coasts of United States from New York to Mexico
From this reading Mademoiselle uttered a slight cry.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He stared at me with startled eyes.
Montignac
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Montignac, who stood beside her, was as much taken aback as La Chatre was, but was quicker to comprehend the situation.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading SWORD AND DAGGER M. de la Chatre could not have been more surprised if a spirit had risen from the floor at his feet.
not in physical motion
From this reading I had sheathed my sword while behind the curtains, and now I stood motionless, with folded arms, before him.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading Montignac, who stood beside her, was as much taken aback as La Chatre was, but was quicker to comprehend the situation.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I had sheathed my sword while behind the curtains, and now I stood motionless, with folded arms, before him.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading SWORD AND DAGGER M. de la Chatre could not have been more surprised if a spirit had risen from the floor at his feet.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading I had sheathed my sword while behind the curtains, and now I stood motionless, with folded arms, before him.
quickeradverbUS /ˈkwɪkər/
more quickly
From this reading Montignac, who stood beside her, was as much taken aback as La Chatre was, but was quicker to comprehend the situation.
risenadjectiveUS /ˈrɪzən/
(of e.g. celestial bodies) above the horizon
From this reading SWORD AND DAGGER M. de la Chatre could not have been more surprised if a spirit had risen from the floor at his feet.
sheathedadjectiveUS /ʃiːðd/
enclosed in a protective covering; sometimes used in combination
From this reading I had sheathed my sword while behind the curtains, and now I stood motionless, with folded arms, before him.
the general state of things; the combination of circumstances at a given time
From this reading Montignac, who stood beside her, was as much taken aback as La Chatre was, but was quicker to comprehend the situation.
a deliberate discourteous act (usually as an expression of anger or disapproval)
From this reading Mademoiselle uttered a slight cry.
the vital principle or animating force within living things
From this reading SWORD AND DAGGER M. de la Chatre could not have been more surprised if a spirit had risen from the floor at his feet.
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading He stared at me with startled eyes.
excited by sudden surprise or alarm and making a quick involuntary movement
From this reading He stared at me with startled eyes.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading I had sheathed my sword while behind the curtains, and now I stood motionless, with folded arms, before him.
taken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment
From this reading SWORD AND DAGGER M. de la Chatre could not have been more surprised if a spirit had risen from the floor at his feet.
a cutting or thrusting weapon that has a long metal blade and a hilt with a hand guard
From this reading SWORD AND DAGGER M. de la Chatre could not have been more surprised if a spirit had risen from the floor at his feet.
takenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading Montignac, who stood beside her, was as much taken aback as La Chatre was, but was quicker to comprehend the situation.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading SWORD AND DAGGER M. de la Chatre could not have been more surprised if a spirit had risen from the floor at his feet.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Montignac, who stood beside her, was as much taken aback as La Chatre was, but was quicker to comprehend the situation.
communicated in words
From this reading Mademoiselle uttered a slight cry.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Montignac, who stood beside her, was as much taken aback as La Chatre was, but was quicker to comprehend the situation.
whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/
during the time that
From this reading I had sheathed my sword while behind the curtains, and now I stood motionless, with folded arms, before him.
which person or people
From this reading Montignac, who stood beside her, was as much taken aback as La Chatre was, but was quicker to comprehend the situation.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He stared at me with startled eyes.
