used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading “We think we have brought the telephone to a considerable degree of perfection,” said the doctor.
personal knowledge or information about someone or something
From this reading “Doctor, what acquaintance have you with the telephone?”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “At first it was rather crude, and many preferred to forego its use in order to escape its annoyances.
annoyancesnounUS /əˈnɔɪənsɪz/
plural of “annoyance” — the psychological state of being irritated or annoyed
From this reading “At first it was rather crude, and many preferred to forego its use in order to escape its annoyances.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “At first it was rather crude, and many preferred to forego its use in order to escape its annoyances.
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading “We think we have brought the telephone to a considerable degree of perfection,” said the doctor.
large or relatively large in number or amount or extent or degree
From this reading “We think we have brought the telephone to a considerable degree of perfection,” said the doctor.
crudeadjectiveUS /kruːd/
not carefully or expertly made
From this reading “At first it was rather crude, and many preferred to forego its use in order to escape its annoyances.
a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality
From this reading “We think we have brought the telephone to a considerable degree of perfection,” said the doctor.
a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading “Doctor, what acquaintance have you with the telephone?”
the act of escaping physically
From this reading “At first it was rather crude, and many preferred to forego its use in order to escape its annoyances.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading “At first it was rather crude, and many preferred to forego its use in order to escape its annoyances.
foregoverbUS /fɔːrˈɡoʊ/
be earlier in time; go back further
From this reading “At first it was rather crude, and many preferred to forego its use in order to escape its annoyances.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “Doctor, what acquaintance have you with the telephone?”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “At first it was rather crude, and many preferred to forego its use in order to escape its annoyances.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading “Let us step into the music room,” said Thorwald.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “At first it was rather crude, and many preferred to forego its use in order to escape its annoyances.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading “At first it was rather crude, and many preferred to forego its use in order to escape its annoyances.
Letauxiliary verbUS /let/
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading “Let us step into the music room,” said Thorwald.
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 “At first it was rather crude, and many preferred to forego its use in order to escape its annoyances.
an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner
From this reading “Let us step into the music room,” said Thorwald.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “We think we have brought the telephone to a considerable degree of perfection,” said the doctor.
(often plural) a command given by a superior (e.g., a military or law enforcement officer) that must be obeyed
From this reading “At first it was rather crude, and many preferred to forego its use in order to escape its annoyances.
perfectionnounUS /pərˈfekʃən/
the state of being without a flaw or defect
From this reading “We think we have brought the telephone to a considerable degree of perfection,” said the doctor.
a visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface
From this reading THE PICTURE TELEGRAPH.
more desirable than another
From this reading “At first it was rather crude, and many preferred to forego its use in order to escape its annoyances.
on the contrary
From this reading “At first it was rather crude, and many preferred to forego its use in order to escape its annoyances.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading “Let us step into the music room,” said Thorwald.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Let us step into the music room,” said Thorwald.
any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal
From this reading “Let us step into the music room,” said Thorwald.
TELEGRAPHnounUS /ˈteləɡræf/
apparatus used to communicate at a distance over a wire (usually in Morse code)
From this reading THE PICTURE TELEGRAPH.
telephonenounUS /ˈteləfoʊn/
electronic equipment that converts sound into electrical signals that can be transmitted over distances and then converts received signals back into sounds
From this reading “Doctor, what acquaintance have you with the telephone?”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE PICTURE TELEGRAPH.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading “We think we have brought the telephone to a considerable degree of perfection,” said the doctor.
Thorwald
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Let us step into the music room,” said Thorwald.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “We think we have brought the telephone to a considerable degree of perfection,” said the doctor.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Let us step into the music room,” said Thorwald.
the act of using
From this reading “At first it was rather crude, and many preferred to forego its use in order to escape its annoyances.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “At first it was rather crude, and many preferred to forego its use in order to escape its annoyances.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “We think we have brought the telephone to a considerable degree of perfection,” said the doctor.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “Doctor, what acquaintance have you with the telephone?”
in the company of; together with
From this reading “Doctor, what acquaintance have you with the telephone?”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Doctor, what acquaintance have you with the telephone?”
