used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading She laughed as she mounted the stairs, a slim white figure amid the heavy woodwork long since blackened by time.
past form of “add” — make an addition (to); join or combine or unite with others; increase the quality, quantity, size or scope of
From this reading “The good God be merciful to you,” he added under his breath when Desiree had gone.
amidprepositionUS /əˈmɪd/
in the middle of; surrounded by
From this reading She laughed as she mounted the stairs, a slim white figure amid the heavy woodwork long since blackened by time.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading For the Dantzigers have been a people of sorrow, torn by wars, starved by siege, tossed from one conqueror to another from the beginning until now.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading She laughed as she mounted the stairs, a slim white figure amid the heavy woodwork long since blackened by time.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “The good God be merciful to you,” he added under his breath when Desiree had gone.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading For the Dantzigers have been a people of sorrow, torn by wars, starved by siege, tossed from one conqueror to another from the beginning until now.
the event consisting of the start of something
From this reading For the Dantzigers have been a people of sorrow, torn by wars, starved by siege, tossed from one conqueror to another from the beginning until now.
Directly under; in or to a lower position than.
From this reading The stairs made no sound beneath her light step.
blackenedadjectiveUS /ˈblækənd/
darkened by smoke
From this reading She laughed as she mounted the stairs, a slim white figure amid the heavy woodwork long since blackened by time.
the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
From this reading “The good God be merciful to you,” he added under his breath when Desiree had gone.
(used of soaps or cleaning agents) having a substance (an abrasive or filler) added to increase effectiveness
From this reading How many weary feet had climbed them since they were built!
showing who or what does the action
From this reading She laughed as she mounted the stairs, a slim white figure amid the heavy woodwork long since blackened by time.
past form of “climb” — go upward with gradual or continuous progress
From this reading How many weary feet had climbed them since they were built!
conquerornounUS /ˈkɑːŋkərər/
someone who is victorious by force of arms
From this reading For the Dantzigers have been a people of sorrow, torn by wars, starved by siege, tossed from one conqueror to another from the beginning until now.
Dantzigers
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For the Dantzigers have been a people of sorrow, torn by wars, starved by siege, tossed from one conqueror to another from the beginning until now.
Desiree
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “The good God be merciful to you,” he added under his breath when Desiree had gone.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading How many weary feet had climbed them since they were built!
a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading She laughed as she mounted the stairs, a slim white figure amid the heavy woodwork long since blackened by time.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For the Dantzigers have been a people of sorrow, torn by wars, starved by siege, tossed from one conqueror to another from the beginning until now.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading For the Dantzigers have been a people of sorrow, torn by wars, starved by siege, tossed from one conqueror to another from the beginning until now.
the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading “The good God be merciful to you,” he added under his breath when Desiree had gone.
destroyed or killed
From this reading “The good God be merciful to you,” he added under his breath when Desiree had gone.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading “The good God be merciful to you,” he added under his breath when Desiree had gone.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading “The good God be merciful to you,” he added under his breath when Desiree had gone.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading For the Dantzigers have been a people of sorrow, torn by wars, starved by siege, tossed from one conqueror to another from the beginning until now.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “The good God be merciful to you,” he added under his breath when Desiree had gone.
of comparatively great physical weight or density
From this reading She laughed as she mounted the stairs, a slim white figure amid the heavy woodwork long since blackened by time.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading The stairs made no sound beneath her light step.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “The good God be merciful to you,” he added under his breath when Desiree had gone.
How
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How many weary feet had climbed them since they were built!
past form of “laugh” — produce laughter
From this reading She laughed as she mounted the stairs, a slim white figure amid the heavy woodwork long since blackened by time.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading The stairs made no sound beneath her light step.
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 She laughed as she mounted the stairs, a slim white figure amid the heavy woodwork long since blackened by time.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading The stairs made no sound beneath her light step.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading How many weary feet had climbed them since they were built!
mercifuladjectiveUS /ˈmɜːrsɪfəl/
showing or giving mercy
From this reading “The good God be merciful to you,” he added under his breath when Desiree had gone.
assembled for use; especially by being attached to a support
From this reading She laughed as she mounted the stairs, a slim white figure amid the heavy woodwork long since blackened by time.
not any; not one
From this reading The stairs made no sound beneath her light step.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading For the Dantzigers have been a people of sorrow, torn by wars, starved by siege, tossed from one conqueror to another from the beginning until now.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading For the Dantzigers have been a people of sorrow, torn by wars, starved by siege, tossed from one conqueror to another from the beginning until now.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading For the Dantzigers have been a people of sorrow, torn by wars, starved by siege, tossed from one conqueror to another from the beginning until now.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading For the Dantzigers have been a people of sorrow, torn by wars, starved by siege, tossed from one conqueror to another from the beginning until now.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She laughed as she mounted the stairs, a slim white figure amid the heavy woodwork long since blackened by time.
siegenounUS /siːdʒ/
the action of an armed force that surrounds a fortified place and isolates it while continuing to attack
From this reading For the Dantzigers have been a people of sorrow, torn by wars, starved by siege, tossed from one conqueror to another from the beginning until now.
sinceprepositionUS /sɪns/
from a time in the past until now
From this reading She laughed as she mounted the stairs, a slim white figure amid the heavy woodwork long since blackened by time.
slimadjectiveUS /slɪm/
being of delicate or slender build
From this reading She laughed as she mounted the stairs, a slim white figure amid the heavy woodwork long since blackened by time.
an emotion of great sadness associated with loss or bereavement
From this reading For the Dantzigers have been a people of sorrow, torn by wars, starved by siege, tossed from one conqueror to another from the beginning until now.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading The stairs made no sound beneath her light step.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading She laughed as she mounted the stairs, a slim white figure amid the heavy woodwork long since blackened by time.
starvedadjectiveUS /stɑːrvd/
suffering from lack of food
From this reading For the Dantzigers have been a people of sorrow, torn by wars, starved by siege, tossed from one conqueror to another from the beginning until now.
any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal
From this reading The stairs made no sound beneath her light step.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “The good God be merciful to you,” he added under his breath when Desiree had gone.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading How many weary feet had climbed them since they were built!
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading How many weary feet had climbed them since they were built!
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading She laughed as she mounted the stairs, a slim white figure amid the heavy woodwork long since blackened by time.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “The good God be merciful to you,” he added under his breath when Desiree had gone.
having edges that are jagged from injury
From this reading For the Dantzigers have been a people of sorrow, torn by wars, starved by siege, tossed from one conqueror to another from the beginning until now.
tossedverbUS /tɔːst/
past form of “toss” — throw or toss with a light motion
From this reading For the Dantzigers have been a people of sorrow, torn by wars, starved by siege, tossed from one conqueror to another from the beginning until now.
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading “The good God be merciful to you,” he added under his breath when Desiree had gone.
untilprepositionUS /ənˈtɪl/
up to a particular time
From this reading For the Dantzigers have been a people of sorrow, torn by wars, starved by siege, tossed from one conqueror to another from the beginning until now.
warsnounUS /wɔːrz/
plural of “war” — the waging of armed conflict against an enemy
From this reading For the Dantzigers have been a people of sorrow, torn by wars, starved by siege, tossed from one conqueror to another from the beginning until now.
exhaust or get tired through overuse or great strain or stress
From this reading How many weary feet had climbed them since they were built!
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading How many weary feet had climbed them since they were built!
at the time that
From this reading “The good God be merciful to you,” he added under his breath when Desiree had gone.
a Caucasian
From this reading She laughed as she mounted the stairs, a slim white figure amid the heavy woodwork long since blackened by time.
woodworknounUS /ˈwʊdwɜːrk/
work made of wood; especially moldings or stairways or furniture
From this reading She laughed as she mounted the stairs, a slim white figure amid the heavy woodwork long since blackened by time.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “The good God be merciful to you,” he added under his breath when Desiree had gone.
