used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Could this, indeed, be the strange creature whose footsteps he had followed--who but a few short moments before he had seen in life.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Caleb Hook stared at the fearful sight which in that darkened chamber met his gaze with feelings of mingled horror and surprise.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Caleb Hook stared at the fearful sight which in that darkened chamber met his gaze with feelings of mingled horror and surprise.
attenuatedadjectiveUS /əˈtenjuːeɪtɪd/
of an electrical signal; reduced in amplitude with little or no distortion
From this reading There lay the same attenuated form, the same pale and worn features, the thin gray hair, now falling in a tangled mass to the floor, behind the head.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Could this, indeed, be the strange creature whose footsteps he had followed--who but a few short moments before he had seen in life.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Could this, indeed, be the strange creature whose footsteps he had followed--who but a few short moments before he had seen in life.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading There lay the same attenuated form, the same pale and worn features, the thin gray hair, now falling in a tangled mass to the floor, behind the head.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Could this, indeed, be the strange creature whose footsteps he had followed--who but a few short moments before he had seen in life.
Caleb
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Caleb Hook stared at the fearful sight which in that darkened chamber met his gaze with feelings of mingled horror and surprise.
a natural or artificial enclosed space
From this reading IN THE CHAMBER OF DEATH.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Could this, indeed, be the strange creature whose footsteps he had followed--who but a few short moments before he had seen in life.
a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading Could this, indeed, be the strange creature whose footsteps he had followed--who but a few short moments before he had seen in life.
darkenedadjectiveUS /ˈdɑːrkənd/
(of fabrics and paper) grown dark in color over time
From this reading Caleb Hook stared at the fearful sight which in that darkened chamber met his gaze with feelings of mingled horror and surprise.
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading IN THE CHAMBER OF DEATH.
the state of being unsure of something
From this reading It was hard to realize it, but there could be no doubt that such was the fact.
a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading It was hard to realize it, but there could be no doubt that such was the fact.
decreasing in amount or degree
From this reading There lay the same attenuated form, the same pale and worn features, the thin gray hair, now falling in a tangled mass to the floor, behind the head.
experiencing or showing fear
From this reading Caleb Hook stared at the fearful sight which in that darkened chamber met his gaze with feelings of mingled horror and surprise.
plural of “feature” — a prominent attribute or aspect of something
From this reading There lay the same attenuated form, the same pale and worn features, the thin gray hair, now falling in a tangled mass to the floor, behind the head.
emotional or moral sensitivity (especially in relation to personal principles or dignity)
From this reading Caleb Hook stared at the fearful sight which in that darkened chamber met his gaze with feelings of mingled horror and surprise.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading Could this, indeed, be the strange creature whose footsteps he had followed--who but a few short moments before he had seen in life.
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading There lay the same attenuated form, the same pale and worn features, the thin gray hair, now falling in a tangled mass to the floor, behind the head.
past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading Could this, indeed, be the strange creature whose footsteps he had followed--who but a few short moments before he had seen in life.
plural of “footstep” — the sound of a step of someone walking
From this reading Could this, indeed, be the strange creature whose footsteps he had followed--who but a few short moments before he had seen in life.
the phonological or orthographic sound or appearance of a word that can be used to describe or identify something
From this reading There lay the same attenuated form, the same pale and worn features, the thin gray hair, now falling in a tangled mass to the floor, behind the head.
a long fixed look
From this reading Caleb Hook stared at the fearful sight which in that darkened chamber met his gaze with feelings of mingled horror and surprise.
a neutral achromatic color midway between white and black
From this reading There lay the same attenuated form, the same pale and worn features, the thin gray hair, now falling in a tangled mass to the floor, behind the head.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Could this, indeed, be the strange creature whose footsteps he had followed--who but a few short moments before he had seen in life.
a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss
From this reading There lay the same attenuated form, the same pale and worn features, the thin gray hair, now falling in a tangled mass to the floor, behind the head.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading It was hard to realize it, but there could be no doubt that such was the fact.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Could this, indeed, be the strange creature whose footsteps he had followed--who but a few short moments before he had seen in life.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading There lay the same attenuated form, the same pale and worn features, the thin gray hair, now falling in a tangled mass to the floor, behind the head.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Caleb Hook stared at the fearful sight which in that darkened chamber met his gaze with feelings of mingled horror and surprise.
HookverbUS /hʊk/
fasten with a hook
From this reading Caleb Hook stared at the fearful sight which in that darkened chamber met his gaze with feelings of mingled horror and surprise.
intense and profound fear
From this reading Caleb Hook stared at the fearful sight which in that darkened chamber met his gaze with feelings of mingled horror and surprise.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading IN THE CHAMBER OF DEATH.
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading Could this, indeed, be the strange creature whose footsteps he had followed--who but a few short moments before he had seen in life.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was hard to realize it, but there could be no doubt that such was the fact.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading There lay the same attenuated form, the same pale and worn features, the thin gray hair, now falling in a tangled mass to the floor, behind the head.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading Could this, indeed, be the strange creature whose footsteps he had followed--who but a few short moments before he had seen in life.
the property of a body that causes it to have weight in a gravitational field
From this reading There lay the same attenuated form, the same pale and worn features, the thin gray hair, now falling in a tangled mass to the floor, behind the head.
inflected form of “meet” — come together
From this reading Caleb Hook stared at the fearful sight which in that darkened chamber met his gaze with feelings of mingled horror and surprise.
past form of “mingle” — to bring or combine together or with something else
From this reading Caleb Hook stared at the fearful sight which in that darkened chamber met his gaze with feelings of mingled horror and surprise.
plural of “moment” — a particular point in time
From this reading Could this, indeed, be the strange creature whose footsteps he had followed--who but a few short moments before he had seen in life.
not any; not one
From this reading It was hard to realize it, but there could be no doubt that such was the fact.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading There lay the same attenuated form, the same pale and worn features, the thin gray hair, now falling in a tangled mass to the floor, behind the head.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading IN THE CHAMBER OF DEATH.
very light colored; highly diluted with white
From this reading There lay the same attenuated form, the same pale and worn features, the thin gray hair, now falling in a tangled mass to the floor, behind the head.
be fully aware or cognizant of
From this reading It was hard to realize it, but there could be no doubt that such was the fact.
Identical; not different.
From this reading There lay the same attenuated form, the same pale and worn features, the thin gray hair, now falling in a tangled mass to the floor, behind the head.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Could this, indeed, be the strange creature whose footsteps he had followed--who but a few short moments before he had seen in life.
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading Could this, indeed, be the strange creature whose footsteps he had followed--who but a few short moments before he had seen in life.
an instance of visual perception
From this reading Caleb Hook stared at the fearful sight which in that darkened chamber met his gaze with feelings of mingled horror and surprise.
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading Caleb Hook stared at the fearful sight which in that darkened chamber met his gaze with feelings of mingled horror and surprise.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading Could this, indeed, be the strange creature whose footsteps he had followed--who but a few short moments before he had seen in life.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading It was hard to realize it, but there could be no doubt that such was the fact.
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading Caleb Hook stared at the fearful sight which in that darkened chamber met his gaze with feelings of mingled horror and surprise.
tangledadjectiveUS /ˈtæŋɡəld/
in a confused mass
From this reading There lay the same attenuated form, the same pale and worn features, the thin gray hair, now falling in a tangled mass to the floor, behind the head.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Caleb Hook stared at the fearful sight which in that darkened chamber met his gaze with feelings of mingled horror and surprise.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading IN THE CHAMBER OF DEATH.
in or at that place or location
From this reading It was hard to realize it, but there could be no doubt that such was the fact.
Having little thickness or extent.
From this reading There lay the same attenuated form, the same pale and worn features, the thin gray hair, now falling in a tangled mass to the floor, behind the head.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Could this, indeed, be the strange creature whose footsteps he had followed--who but a few short moments before he had seen in life.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It was hard to realize it, but there could be no doubt that such was the fact.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was hard to realize it, but there could be no doubt that such was the fact.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Caleb Hook stared at the fearful sight which in that darkened chamber met his gaze with feelings of mingled horror and surprise.
which person or people
From this reading Could this, indeed, be the strange creature whose footsteps he had followed--who but a few short moments before he had seen in life.
belonging to which person
From this reading Could this, indeed, be the strange creature whose footsteps he had followed--who but a few short moments before he had seen in life.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Caleb Hook stared at the fearful sight which in that darkened chamber met his gaze with feelings of mingled horror and surprise.
Damaged or thinned by continuous use.
From this reading There lay the same attenuated form, the same pale and worn features, the thin gray hair, now falling in a tangled mass to the floor, behind the head.
