used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading It seemed almost as if he had exerted a supernatural strength, and the work he had accomplished might well have claimed double the period.
highly skilled
From this reading It seemed almost as if he had exerted a supernatural strength, and the work he had accomplished might well have claimed double the period.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading It seemed almost as if he had exerted a supernatural strength, and the work he had accomplished might well have claimed double the period.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading How stale and tired he was!
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading It seemed almost as if he had exerted a supernatural strength, and the work he had accomplished might well have claimed double the period.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading How terribly he had toiled these past months, sustained by he knew not what mysterious energy.
claimedverbUS /kleɪmd/
past form of “claim” — assert or affirm strongly; state to be true or existing
From this reading It seemed almost as if he had exerted a supernatural strength, and the work he had accomplished might well have claimed double the period.
increase twofold
From this reading It seemed almost as if he had exerted a supernatural strength, and the work he had accomplished might well have claimed double the period.
(physics) a thermodynamic quantity equivalent to the capacity of a physical system to do work; the units of energy are joules or ergs
From this reading How terribly he had toiled these past months, sustained by he knew not what mysterious energy.
exertedverbUS /ɪɡˈzɜːrtɪd/
past form of “exert” — put to use
From this reading It seemed almost as if he had exerted a supernatural strength, and the work he had accomplished might well have claimed double the period.
(of materials or goods) brought to the desired final state
From this reading He was finished; a mere hollow shell of a man.
destroyed or killed
From this reading And now, something had suddenly gone snap.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading How terribly he had toiled these past months, sustained by he knew not what mysterious energy.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading It seemed almost as if he had exerted a supernatural strength, and the work he had accomplished might well have claimed double the period.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading How stale and tired he was!
not solid; having a space or gap or cavity
From this reading He was finished; a mere hollow shell of a man.
How
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How stale and tired he was!
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading It seemed almost as if he had exerted a supernatural strength, and the work he had accomplished might well have claimed double the period.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It seemed almost as if he had exerted a supernatural strength, and the work he had accomplished might well have claimed double the period.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading How terribly he had toiled these past months, sustained by he knew not what mysterious energy.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading He was finished; a mere hollow shell of a man.
being nothing more than specified
From this reading He was finished; a mere hollow shell of a man.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading It seemed almost as if he had exerted a supernatural strength, and the work he had accomplished might well have claimed double the period.
plural of “month” — one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year
From this reading How terribly he had toiled these past months, sustained by he knew not what mysterious energy.
of an obscure nature
From this reading How terribly he had toiled these past months, sustained by he knew not what mysterious energy.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading How terribly he had toiled these past months, sustained by he knew not what mysterious energy.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading And now, something had suddenly gone snap.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He was finished; a mere hollow shell of a man.
the time that has elapsed
From this reading How terribly he had toiled these past months, sustained by he knew not what mysterious energy.
an amount of time
From this reading It seemed almost as if he had exerted a supernatural strength, and the work he had accomplished might well have claimed double the period.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading It seemed almost as if he had exerted a supernatural strength, and the work he had accomplished might well have claimed double the period.
shellnounUS /ʃel/
ammunition consisting of a cylindrical metal casing containing an explosive charge and a projectile; fired from a large gun
From this reading He was finished; a mere hollow shell of a man.
snapverbUS /snæp/
utter in an angry, sharp, or abrupt tone
From this reading And now, something had suddenly gone snap.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading And now, something had suddenly gone snap.
staleadjectiveUS /steɪl/
lacking freshness, palatability, or showing deterioration from age
From this reading How stale and tired he was!
the property of being physically or mentally strong
From this reading It seemed almost as if he had exerted a supernatural strength, and the work he had accomplished might well have claimed double the period.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading And now, something had suddenly gone snap.
supernaturalnounUS /ˌsuːpərˈnætʃərəl/
supernatural forces and events and beings collectively
From this reading It seemed almost as if he had exerted a supernatural strength, and the work he had accomplished might well have claimed double the period.
sustainedadjectiveUS /səˈsteɪnd/
maintained at length without interruption or weakening
From this reading How terribly he had toiled these past months, sustained by he knew not what mysterious energy.
terriblyadverbUS /ˈterəbli/
used as intensifiers
From this reading How terribly he had toiled these past months, sustained by he knew not what mysterious energy.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It seemed almost as if he had exerted a supernatural strength, and the work he had accomplished might well have claimed double the period.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading How terribly he had toiled these past months, sustained by he knew not what mysterious energy.
tiredadjectiveUS /ˈtaɪərd/
depleted of strength or energy
From this reading How stale and tired he was!
toiledverbUS /tɔɪld/
past form of “toil” — work hard
From this reading How terribly he had toiled these past months, sustained by he knew not what mysterious energy.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading How stale and tired he was!
(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 It seemed almost as if he had exerted a supernatural strength, and the work he had accomplished might well have claimed double the period.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading How terribly he had toiled these past months, sustained by he knew not what mysterious energy.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading It seemed almost as if he had exerted a supernatural strength, and the work he had accomplished might well have claimed double the period.
