Chapter XXV · Chapter 25

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Christopher concluded his simple and direct account with these words, and waited vainly for a reply from his hearer, who stood by the window with his back to him.

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading "I suppose no one realised you did not know all about it as you'd known them all so long."

a record or narrative description of past events

From this reading Christopher concluded his simple and direct account with these words, and waited vainly for a reply from his hearer, who stood by the window with his back to him.

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading "I suppose no one realised you did not know all about it as you'd known them all so long."

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading "It's so nearly a thing of the past, too, that it hardly seemed worth mentioning," he went on presently, an uneasy wonder at the silence growing on him.

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Christopher concluded his simple and direct account with these words, and waited vainly for a reply from his hearer, who stood by the window with his back to him.

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading "I suppose no one realised you did not know all about it as you'd known them all so long."

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading "It's so nearly a thing of the past, too, that it hardly seemed worth mentioning," he went on presently, an uneasy wonder at the silence growing on him.

in or to or toward a former location

From this reading Christopher concluded his simple and direct account with these words, and waited vainly for a reply from his hearer, who stood by the window with his back to him.

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Christopher concluded his simple and direct account with these words, and waited vainly for a reply from his hearer, who stood by the window with his back to him.

Christian martyr and patron saint of travellers (3rd century)

From this reading Christopher concluded his simple and direct account with these words, and waited vainly for a reply from his hearer, who stood by the window with his back to him.

having come or been brought to a conclusion

From this reading Christopher concluded his simple and direct account with these words, and waited vainly for a reply from his hearer, who stood by the window with his back to him.

absence of light or illumination

From this reading At length Geoffry spoke, in a thick, slow way, like a man groping in darkness.

with intention; in an intentional manner

From this reading "You mean she did throw that stone deliberately, meaning to hit me?"

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading "I suppose no one realised you did not know all about it as you'd known them all so long."

command with authority

From this reading Christopher concluded his simple and direct account with these words, and waited vainly for a reply from his hearer, who stood by the window with his back to him.

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Christopher concluded his simple and direct account with these words, and waited vainly for a reply from his hearer, who stood by the window with his back to him.

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading Christopher concluded his simple and direct account with these words, and waited vainly for a reply from his hearer, who stood by the window with his back to him.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading At length Geoffry spoke, in a thick, slow way, like a man groping in darkness.

acting with uncertainty or hesitance or lack of confidence

From this reading At length Geoffry spoke, in a thick, slow way, like a man groping in darkness.

(biology) the process of an individual organism growing organically; a purely biological unfolding of events involved in an organism changing gradually from a simple to a more complex level

From this reading "It's so nearly a thing of the past, too, that it hardly seemed worth mentioning," he went on presently, an uneasy wonder at the silence growing on him.

only a very short time before

From this reading "It's so nearly a thing of the past, too, that it hardly seemed worth mentioning," he went on presently, an uneasy wonder at the silence growing on him.

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading "It's so nearly a thing of the past, too, that it hardly seemed worth mentioning," he went on presently, an uneasy wonder at the silence growing on him.

someone who listens attentively

From this reading Christopher concluded his simple and direct account with these words, and waited vainly for a reply from his hearer, who stood by the window with his back to him.

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading Christopher concluded his simple and direct account with these words, and waited vainly for a reply from his hearer, who stood by the window with his back to him.

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading Christopher concluded his simple and direct account with these words, and waited vainly for a reply from his hearer, who stood by the window with his back to him.

cause to move by striking

From this reading "You mean she did throw that stone deliberately, meaning to hit me?"

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading "I suppose no one realised you did not know all about it as you'd known them all so long."

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading At length Geoffry spoke, in a thick, slow way, like a man groping in darkness.

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading "I suppose no one realised you did not know all about it as you'd known them all so long."

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "It's so nearly a thing of the past, too, that it hardly seemed worth mentioning," he went on presently, an uneasy wonder at the silence growing on him.

be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about

From this reading "I suppose no one realised you did not know all about it as you'd known them all so long."

apprehended with certainty

From this reading "I suppose no one realised you did not know all about it as you'd known them all so long."

the linear extent in space from one end to the other; the longest dimension of something that is fixed in place

From this reading At length Geoffry spoke, in a thick, slow way, like a man groping in darkness.

prefer or wish to do something

From this reading At length Geoffry spoke, in a thick, slow way, like a man groping in darkness.

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 "I suppose no one realised you did not know all about it as you'd known them all so long."

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading At length Geoffry spoke, in a thick, slow way, like a man groping in darkness.

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading "You mean she did throw that stone deliberately, meaning to hit me?"

mean or intend to express or convey

From this reading "You mean she did throw that stone deliberately, meaning to hit me?"

the message that is intended or expressed or signified

From this reading "You mean she did throw that stone deliberately, meaning to hit me?"

-ing form of “mention” — make reference to

From this reading "It's so nearly a thing of the past, too, that it hardly seemed worth mentioning," he went on presently, an uneasy wonder at the silence growing on him.

(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but

From this reading "It's so nearly a thing of the past, too, that it hardly seemed worth mentioning," he went on presently, an uneasy wonder at the silence growing on him.

not any; not one

From this reading "I suppose no one realised you did not know all about it as you'd known them all so long."

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading "I suppose no one realised you did not know all about it as you'd known them all so long."

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading "It's so nearly a thing of the past, too, that it hardly seemed worth mentioning," he went on presently, an uneasy wonder at the silence growing on him.

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading "It's so nearly a thing of the past, too, that it hardly seemed worth mentioning," he went on presently, an uneasy wonder at the silence growing on him.

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading "I suppose no one realised you did not know all about it as you'd known them all so long."

the time that has elapsed

From this reading "It's so nearly a thing of the past, too, that it hardly seemed worth mentioning," he went on presently, an uneasy wonder at the silence growing on him.

in the near future

From this reading "It's so nearly a thing of the past, too, that it hardly seemed worth mentioning," he went on presently, an uneasy wonder at the silence growing on him.

successfully completed or brought to an end

From this reading "I suppose no one realised you did not know all about it as you'd known them all so long."

a statement (either spoken or written) that is made to reply to a question or request or criticism or accusation

From this reading Christopher concluded his simple and direct account with these words, and waited vainly for a reply from his hearer, who stood by the window with his back to him.

past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

From this reading "It's so nearly a thing of the past, too, that it hardly seemed worth mentioning," he went on presently, an uneasy wonder at the silence growing on him.

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading "You mean she did throw that stone deliberately, meaning to hit me?"

Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.

From this reading "It's so nearly a thing of the past, too, that it hardly seemed worth mentioning," he went on presently, an uneasy wonder at the silence growing on him.

having few parts; not complex or complicated or involved

From this reading Christopher concluded his simple and direct account with these words, and waited vainly for a reply from his hearer, who stood by the window with his back to him.

not moving quickly; taking a comparatively long time

From this reading At length Geoffry spoke, in a thick, slow way, like a man groping in darkness.

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading "I suppose no one realised you did not know all about it as you'd known them all so long."

support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim

From this reading At length Geoffry spoke, in a thick, slow way, like a man groping in darkness.

a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter

From this reading "You mean she did throw that stone deliberately, meaning to hit me?"

Maintained an upright posture.

From this reading Christopher concluded his simple and direct account with these words, and waited vainly for a reply from his hearer, who stood by the window with his back to him.

express a supposition

From this reading "I suppose no one realised you did not know all about it as you'd known them all so long."

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading "It's so nearly a thing of the past, too, that it hardly seemed worth mentioning," he went on presently, an uneasy wonder at the silence growing on him.

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading Christopher concluded his simple and direct account with these words, and waited vainly for a reply from his hearer, who stood by the window with his back to him.

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading "I suppose no one realised you did not know all about it as you'd known them all so long."

the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned

From this reading Christopher concluded his simple and direct account with these words, and waited vainly for a reply from his hearer, who stood by the window with his back to him.

not thin; of a specific thickness or of relatively great extent from one surface to the opposite usually in the smallest of the three solid dimensions

From this reading At length Geoffry spoke, in a thick, slow way, like a man groping in darkness.

a special situation

From this reading "It's so nearly a thing of the past, too, that it hardly seemed worth mentioning," he went on presently, an uneasy wonder at the silence growing on him.

propel through the air

From this reading "You mean she did throw that stone deliberately, meaning to hit me?"

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading Christopher concluded his simple and direct account with these words, and waited vainly for a reply from his hearer, who stood by the window with his back to him.

to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits

From this reading "It's so nearly a thing of the past, too, that it hardly seemed worth mentioning," he went on presently, an uneasy wonder at the silence growing on him.

lacking a sense of security or affording no ease or reassurance

From this reading "It's so nearly a thing of the past, too, that it hardly seemed worth mentioning," he went on presently, an uneasy wonder at the silence growing on him.

to no avail

From this reading Christopher concluded his simple and direct account with these words, and waited vainly for a reply from his hearer, who stood by the window with his back to him.

past form of “wait” — stay in one place and anticipate or expect something

From this reading Christopher concluded his simple and direct account with these words, and waited vainly for a reply from his hearer, who stood by the window with his back to him.

how something is done or how it happens

From this reading At length Geoffry spoke, in a thick, slow way, like a man groping in darkness.

inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading "It's so nearly a thing of the past, too, that it hardly seemed worth mentioning," he went on presently, an uneasy wonder at the silence growing on him.

which person or people

From this reading Christopher concluded his simple and direct account with these words, and waited vainly for a reply from his hearer, who stood by the window with his back to him.

a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air

From this reading Christopher concluded his simple and direct account with these words, and waited vainly for a reply from his hearer, who stood by the window with his back to him.

in the company of; together with

From this reading Christopher concluded his simple and direct account with these words, and waited vainly for a reply from his hearer, who stood by the window with his back to him.

the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising

From this reading "It's so nearly a thing of the past, too, that it hardly seemed worth mentioning," he went on presently, an uneasy wonder at the silence growing on him.

the words that are spoken

From this reading Christopher concluded his simple and direct account with these words, and waited vainly for a reply from his hearer, who stood by the window with his back to him.

an indefinite quantity of something having a specified value

From this reading "It's so nearly a thing of the past, too, that it hardly seemed worth mentioning," he went on presently, an uneasy wonder at the silence growing on him.

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "I suppose no one realised you did not know all about it as you'd known them all so long."

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "I suppose no one realised you did not know all about it as you'd known them all so long."