used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading AT ELSIE'S BEDSIDE The day before election, a day of hope deferred, had dragged slowly by and night had at length settled upon the city.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Doctor West had the minute before come in from a long, dinnerless day of hastening from case to case, and now he, Katherine, and her aunt were sitting about the supper table.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading AT ELSIE'S BEDSIDE The day before election, a day of hope deferred, had dragged slowly by and night had at length settled upon the city.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As for Katherine, she was hardly less worn.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading AT ELSIE'S BEDSIDE The day before election, a day of hope deferred, had dragged slowly by and night had at length settled upon the city.
the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle
From this reading Doctor West had the minute before come in from a long, dinnerless day of hastening from case to case, and now he, Katherine, and her aunt were sitting about the supper table.
BEDSIDEnounUS /ˈbedsaɪd/
space by the side of a bed (especially the bed of a sick or dying person)
From this reading AT ELSIE'S BEDSIDE The day before election, a day of hope deferred, had dragged slowly by and night had at length settled upon the city.
bedsides
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The day-and-night struggle at scores of bedsides was sorely wearing him down.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading AT ELSIE'S BEDSIDE The day before election, a day of hope deferred, had dragged slowly by and night had at length settled upon the city.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading AT ELSIE'S BEDSIDE The day before election, a day of hope deferred, had dragged slowly by and night had at length settled upon the city.
an occurrence of something
From this reading Doctor West had the minute before come in from a long, dinnerless day of hastening from case to case, and now he, Katherine, and her aunt were sitting about the supper table.
a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts
From this reading AT ELSIE'S BEDSIDE The day before election, a day of hope deferred, had dragged slowly by and night had at length settled upon the city.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Doctor West had the minute before come in from a long, dinnerless day of hastening from case to case, and now he, Katherine, and her aunt were sitting about the supper table.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading AT ELSIE'S BEDSIDE The day before election, a day of hope deferred, had dragged slowly by and night had at length settled upon the city.
day-and-nightadjective
at all times
From this reading The day-and-night struggle at scores of bedsides was sorely wearing him down.
deferredverbUS /dɪˈfɜːrd/
inflected form of “defer” — hold back to a later time
From this reading AT ELSIE'S BEDSIDE The day before election, a day of hope deferred, had dragged slowly by and night had at length settled upon the city.
dinnerless
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Doctor West had the minute before come in from a long, dinnerless day of hastening from case to case, and now he, Katherine, and her aunt were sitting about the supper table.
a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading Doctor West had the minute before come in from a long, dinnerless day of hastening from case to case, and now he, Katherine, and her aunt were sitting about the supper table.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading The day-and-night struggle at scores of bedsides was sorely wearing him down.
inflected form of “drag” — pull, as against a resistance
From this reading AT ELSIE'S BEDSIDE The day before election, a day of hope deferred, had dragged slowly by and night had at length settled upon the city.
electionnounUS /ɪˈlekʃən/
a vote to select the winner of a position or political office
From this reading AT ELSIE'S BEDSIDE The day before election, a day of hope deferred, had dragged slowly by and night had at length settled upon the city.
ELSIE'S
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AT ELSIE'S BEDSIDE The day before election, a day of hope deferred, had dragged slowly by and night had at length settled upon the city.
the organ of sight
From this reading To Katherine's eye her father looked very weary and white and frail.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading To Katherine's eye her father looked very weary and white and frail.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading As for Katherine, she was hardly less worn.
frailadjectiveUS /freɪl/
physically weak
From this reading To Katherine's eye her father looked very weary and white and frail.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Doctor West had the minute before come in from a long, dinnerless day of hastening from case to case, and now he, Katherine, and her aunt were sitting about the supper table.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading AT ELSIE'S BEDSIDE The day before election, a day of hope deferred, had dragged slowly by and night had at length settled upon the city.
only a very short time before
From this reading As for Katherine, she was hardly less worn.
hasteningverbUS /ˈheɪsənɪŋ/
-ing form of “hasten” — act or move at high speed
From this reading Doctor West had the minute before come in from a long, dinnerless day of hastening from case to case, and now he, Katherine, and her aunt were sitting about the supper table.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Doctor West had the minute before come in from a long, dinnerless day of hastening from case to case, and now he, Katherine, and her aunt were sitting about the supper table.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Doctor West had the minute before come in from a long, dinnerless day of hastening from case to case, and now he, Katherine, and her aunt were sitting about the supper table.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The day-and-night struggle at scores of bedsides was sorely wearing him down.
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading AT ELSIE'S BEDSIDE The day before election, a day of hope deferred, had dragged slowly by and night had at length settled upon the city.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Doctor West had the minute before come in from a long, dinnerless day of hastening from case to case, and now he, Katherine, and her aunt were sitting about the supper table.
Katherine
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Doctor West had the minute before come in from a long, dinnerless day of hastening from case to case, and now he, Katherine, and her aunt were sitting about the supper table.
Katherine's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To Katherine's eye her father looked very weary and white and frail.
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 ELSIE'S BEDSIDE The day before election, a day of hope deferred, had dragged slowly by and night had at length settled upon the city.
used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs
From this reading As for Katherine, she was hardly less worn.
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 Doctor West had the minute before come in from a long, dinnerless day of hastening from case to case, and now he, Katherine, and her aunt were sitting about the supper table.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading To Katherine's eye her father looked very weary and white and frail.
a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or 1/60th of an hour
From this reading Doctor West had the minute before come in from a long, dinnerless day of hastening from case to case, and now he, Katherine, and her aunt were sitting about the supper table.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading AT ELSIE'S BEDSIDE The day before election, a day of hope deferred, had dragged slowly by and night had at length settled upon the city.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Doctor West had the minute before come in from a long, dinnerless day of hastening from case to case, and now he, Katherine, and her aunt were sitting about the supper table.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading AT ELSIE'S BEDSIDE The day before election, a day of hope deferred, had dragged slowly by and night had at length settled upon the city.
scoresnounUS /skɔːrz/
a large number or amount
From this reading The day-and-night struggle at scores of bedsides was sorely wearing him down.
established or decided beyond dispute or doubt
From this reading AT ELSIE'S BEDSIDE The day before election, a day of hope deferred, had dragged slowly by and night had at length settled upon the city.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading As for Katherine, she was hardly less worn.
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading Doctor West had the minute before come in from a long, dinnerless day of hastening from case to case, and now he, Katherine, and her aunt were sitting about the supper table.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading AT ELSIE'S BEDSIDE The day before election, a day of hope deferred, had dragged slowly by and night had at length settled upon the city.
sorelyadverbUS /ˈsɔːrli/
to a great degree
From this reading The day-and-night struggle at scores of bedsides was sorely wearing him down.
make a strenuous or labored effort
From this reading The day-and-night struggle at scores of bedsides was sorely wearing him down.
a light evening meal; served in early evening if dinner is at midday or served late in the evening at bedtime
From this reading Doctor West had the minute before come in from a long, dinnerless day of hastening from case to case, and now he, Katherine, and her aunt were sitting about the supper table.
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading Doctor West had the minute before come in from a long, dinnerless day of hastening from case to case, and now he, Katherine, and her aunt were sitting about the supper table.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading AT ELSIE'S BEDSIDE The day before election, a day of hope deferred, had dragged slowly by and night had at length settled upon the city.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Doctor West had the minute before come in from a long, dinnerless day of hastening from case to case, and now he, Katherine, and her aunt were sitting about the supper table.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading AT ELSIE'S BEDSIDE The day before election, a day of hope deferred, had dragged slowly by and night had at length settled upon the city.
precisely as stated
From this reading To Katherine's eye her father looked very weary and white and frail.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The day-and-night struggle at scores of bedsides was sorely wearing him down.
(geology) the mechanical process of wearing or grinding something down (as by particles washing over it)
From this reading The day-and-night struggle at scores of bedsides was sorely wearing him down.
exhaust or get tired through overuse or great strain or stress
From this reading To Katherine's eye her father looked very weary and white and frail.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Doctor West had the minute before come in from a long, dinnerless day of hastening from case to case, and now he, Katherine, and her aunt were sitting about the supper table.
the countries of (originally) Europe and (now including) North America and South America
From this reading Doctor West had the minute before come in from a long, dinnerless day of hastening from case to case, and now he, Katherine, and her aunt were sitting about the supper table.
a Caucasian
From this reading To Katherine's eye her father looked very weary and white and frail.
Damaged or thinned by continuous use.
From this reading As for Katherine, she was hardly less worn.
