used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading MASTER PURVIS TELLS A TALE And what had become of little Dick Chester?
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading It was useless to struggle or cry out, for he was almost smothered, and his captor's arms were as strong as his step was swift and silent.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading He was standing by the table, as I have said, when suddenly, without the sound of an opening door, or the fall of a footstep behind him, a great cloak was thrown over his head, and wound tightly round his body; he was lifted off his feet silently, and borne off, he knew not by whom or whither.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading MASTER PURVIS TELLS A TALE And what had become of little Dick Chester?
weapons considered collectively
From this reading It was useless to struggle or cry out, for he was almost smothered, and his captor's arms were as strong as his step was swift and silent.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He was standing by the table, as I have said, when suddenly, without the sound of an opening door, or the fall of a footstep behind him, a great cloak was thrown over his head, and wound tightly round his body; he was lifted off his feet silently, and borne off, he knew not by whom or whither.
enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading MASTER PURVIS TELLS A TALE And what had become of little Dick Chester?
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading He was standing by the table, as I have said, when suddenly, without the sound of an opening door, or the fall of a footstep behind him, a great cloak was thrown over his head, and wound tightly round his body; he was lifted off his feet silently, and borne off, he knew not by whom or whither.
the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)
From this reading He was standing by the table, as I have said, when suddenly, without the sound of an opening door, or the fall of a footstep behind him, a great cloak was thrown over his head, and wound tightly round his body; he was lifted off his feet silently, and borne off, he knew not by whom or whither.
inflected form of “bear” — have
From this reading He was standing by the table, as I have said, when suddenly, without the sound of an opening door, or the fall of a footstep behind him, a great cloak was thrown over his head, and wound tightly round his body; he was lifted off his feet silently, and borne off, he knew not by whom or whither.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading He was standing by the table, as I have said, when suddenly, without the sound of an opening door, or the fall of a footstep behind him, a great cloak was thrown over his head, and wound tightly round his body; he was lifted off his feet silently, and borne off, he knew not by whom or whither.
captor's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was useless to struggle or cry out, for he was almost smothered, and his captor's arms were as strong as his step was swift and silent.
ChesternounUS /ˈtʃestər/
a city of southeastern Pennsylvania on the Delaware river (an industrial suburb of Philadelphia)
From this reading MASTER PURVIS TELLS A TALE And what had become of little Dick Chester?
anything that covers or conceals
From this reading He was standing by the table, as I have said, when suddenly, without the sound of an opening door, or the fall of a footstep behind him, a great cloak was thrown over his head, and wound tightly round his body; he was lifted off his feet silently, and borne off, he knew not by whom or whither.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading Yet Dick writhed and trembled in despair for he knew not how long, till he heard a horse stamping close by.
utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading It was useless to struggle or cry out, for he was almost smothered, and his captor's arms were as strong as his step was swift and silent.
a state in which all hope is lost or absent
From this reading Yet Dick writhed and trembled in despair for he knew not how long, till he heard a horse stamping close by.
someone who is a detective
From this reading MASTER PURVIS TELLS A TALE And what had become of little Dick Chester?
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading He was standing by the table, as I have said, when suddenly, without the sound of an opening door, or the fall of a footstep behind him, a great cloak was thrown over his head, and wound tightly round his body; he was lifted off his feet silently, and borne off, he knew not by whom or whither.
descend in free fall under the influence of gravity
From this reading He was standing by the table, as I have said, when suddenly, without the sound of an opening door, or the fall of a footstep behind him, a great cloak was thrown over his head, and wound tightly round his body; he was lifted off his feet silently, and borne off, he knew not by whom or whither.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading He was standing by the table, as I have said, when suddenly, without the sound of an opening door, or the fall of a footstep behind him, a great cloak was thrown over his head, and wound tightly round his body; he was lifted off his feet silently, and borne off, he knew not by whom or whither.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading Then he felt himself lifted up.
footstepnounUS /ˈfʊtstep/
the sound of a step of someone walking
From this reading He was standing by the table, as I have said, when suddenly, without the sound of an opening door, or the fall of a footstep behind him, a great cloak was thrown over his head, and wound tightly round his body; he was lifted off his feet silently, and borne off, he knew not by whom or whither.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading It was useless to struggle or cry out, for he was almost smothered, and his captor's arms were as strong as his step was swift and silent.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading He was standing by the table, as I have said, when suddenly, without the sound of an opening door, or the fall of a footstep behind him, a great cloak was thrown over his head, and wound tightly round his body; he was lifted off his feet silently, and borne off, he knew not by whom or whither.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading MASTER PURVIS TELLS A TALE And what had become of little Dick Chester?
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading He was standing by the table, as I have said, when suddenly, without the sound of an opening door, or the fall of a footstep behind him, a great cloak was thrown over his head, and wound tightly round his body; he was lifted off his feet silently, and borne off, he knew not by whom or whither.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was standing by the table, as I have said, when suddenly, without the sound of an opening door, or the fall of a footstep behind him, a great cloak was thrown over his head, and wound tightly round his body; he was lifted off his feet silently, and borne off, he knew not by whom or whither.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading He was standing by the table, as I have said, when suddenly, without the sound of an opening door, or the fall of a footstep behind him, a great cloak was thrown over his head, and wound tightly round his body; he was lifted off his feet silently, and borne off, he knew not by whom or whither.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading Yet Dick writhed and trembled in despair for he knew not how long, till he heard a horse stamping close by.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He was standing by the table, as I have said, when suddenly, without the sound of an opening door, or the fall of a footstep behind him, a great cloak was thrown over his head, and wound tightly round his body; he was lifted off his feet silently, and borne off, he knew not by whom or whither.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Then he felt himself lifted up.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He was standing by the table, as I have said, when suddenly, without the sound of an opening door, or the fall of a footstep behind him, a great cloak was thrown over his head, and wound tightly round his body; he was lifted off his feet silently, and borne off, he knew not by whom or whither.
solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading Yet Dick writhed and trembled in despair for he knew not how long, till he heard a horse stamping close by.
how
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Yet Dick writhed and trembled in despair for he knew not how long, till he heard a horse stamping close by.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading He was standing by the table, as I have said, when suddenly, without the sound of an opening door, or the fall of a footstep behind him, a great cloak was thrown over his head, and wound tightly round his body; he was lifted off his feet silently, and borne off, he knew not by whom or whither.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Yet Dick writhed and trembled in despair for he knew not how long, till he heard a horse stamping close by.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was useless to struggle or cry out, for he was almost smothered, and his captor's arms were as strong as his step was swift and silent.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading He was standing by the table, as I have said, when suddenly, without the sound of an opening door, or the fall of a footstep behind him, a great cloak was thrown over his head, and wound tightly round his body; he was lifted off his feet silently, and borne off, he knew not by whom or whither.
held up in the air
From this reading He was standing by the table, as I have said, when suddenly, without the sound of an opening door, or the fall of a footstep behind him, a great cloak was thrown over his head, and wound tightly round his body; he was lifted off his feet silently, and borne off, he knew not by whom or whither.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading MASTER PURVIS TELLS A TALE And what had become of little Dick Chester?
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 Yet Dick writhed and trembled in despair for he knew not how long, till he heard a horse stamping close by.
an artist of consummate skill
From this reading MASTER PURVIS TELLS A TALE And what had become of little Dick Chester?
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He was standing by the table, as I have said, when suddenly, without the sound of an opening door, or the fall of a footstep behind him, a great cloak was thrown over his head, and wound tightly round his body; he was lifted off his feet silently, and borne off, he knew not by whom or whither.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading MASTER PURVIS TELLS A TALE And what had become of little Dick Chester?
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading He was standing by the table, as I have said, when suddenly, without the sound of an opening door, or the fall of a footstep behind him, a great cloak was thrown over his head, and wound tightly round his body; he was lifted off his feet silently, and borne off, he knew not by whom or whither.
an open or empty space in or between things
From this reading He was standing by the table, as I have said, when suddenly, without the sound of an opening door, or the fall of a footstep behind him, a great cloak was thrown over his head, and wound tightly round his body; he was lifted off his feet silently, and borne off, he knew not by whom or whither.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading He was standing by the table, as I have said, when suddenly, without the sound of an opening door, or the fall of a footstep behind him, a great cloak was thrown over his head, and wound tightly round his body; he was lifted off his feet silently, and borne off, he knew not by whom or whither.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading It was useless to struggle or cry out, for he was almost smothered, and his captor's arms were as strong as his step was swift and silent.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading He was standing by the table, as I have said, when suddenly, without the sound of an opening door, or the fall of a footstep behind him, a great cloak was thrown over his head, and wound tightly round his body; he was lifted off his feet silently, and borne off, he knew not by whom or whither.
PURVIS
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading MASTER PURVIS TELLS A TALE And what had become of little Dick Chester?
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading He was standing by the table, as I have said, when suddenly, without the sound of an opening door, or the fall of a footstep behind him, a great cloak was thrown over his head, and wound tightly round his body; he was lifted off his feet silently, and borne off, he knew not by whom or whither.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading He was standing by the table, as I have said, when suddenly, without the sound of an opening door, or the fall of a footstep behind him, a great cloak was thrown over his head, and wound tightly round his body; he was lifted off his feet silently, and borne off, he knew not by whom or whither.
marked by absence of sound
From this reading It was useless to struggle or cry out, for he was almost smothered, and his captor's arms were as strong as his step was swift and silent.
without speaking
From this reading He was standing by the table, as I have said, when suddenly, without the sound of an opening door, or the fall of a footstep behind him, a great cloak was thrown over his head, and wound tightly round his body; he was lifted off his feet silently, and borne off, he knew not by whom or whither.
smotheredadjectiveUS /ˈsmʌðərd/
held in check with difficulty
From this reading It was useless to struggle or cry out, for he was almost smothered, and his captor's arms were as strong as his step was swift and silent.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading He was standing by the table, as I have said, when suddenly, without the sound of an opening door, or the fall of a footstep behind him, a great cloak was thrown over his head, and wound tightly round his body; he was lifted off his feet silently, and borne off, he knew not by whom or whither.
stampingverbUS /ˈstæmpɪŋ/
-ing form of “stamp” — walk heavily
From this reading Yet Dick writhed and trembled in despair for he knew not how long, till he heard a horse stamping close by.
having a supporting base
From this reading He was standing by the table, as I have said, when suddenly, without the sound of an opening door, or the fall of a footstep behind him, a great cloak was thrown over his head, and wound tightly round his body; he was lifted off his feet silently, and borne off, he knew not by whom or whither.
any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal
From this reading It was useless to struggle or cry out, for he was almost smothered, and his captor's arms were as strong as his step was swift and silent.
having strength or power greater than average or expected
From this reading It was useless to struggle or cry out, for he was almost smothered, and his captor's arms were as strong as his step was swift and silent.
make a strenuous or labored effort
From this reading It was useless to struggle or cry out, for he was almost smothered, and his captor's arms were as strong as his step was swift and silent.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading He was standing by the table, as I have said, when suddenly, without the sound of an opening door, or the fall of a footstep behind him, a great cloak was thrown over his head, and wound tightly round his body; he was lifted off his feet silently, and borne off, he knew not by whom or whither.
moving very fast
From this reading It was useless to struggle or cry out, for he was almost smothered, and his captor's arms were as strong as his step was swift and silent.
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading He was standing by the table, as I have said, when suddenly, without the sound of an opening door, or the fall of a footstep behind him, a great cloak was thrown over his head, and wound tightly round his body; he was lifted off his feet silently, and borne off, he knew not by whom or whither.
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading MASTER PURVIS TELLS A TALE And what had become of little Dick Chester?
plural of “tell” — a Swiss patriot who lived in the early 14th century and who was renowned for his skill as an archer
From this reading MASTER PURVIS TELLS A TALE And what had become of little Dick Chester?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He was standing by the table, as I have said, when suddenly, without the sound of an opening door, or the fall of a footstep behind him, a great cloak was thrown over his head, and wound tightly round his body; he was lifted off his feet silently, and borne off, he knew not by whom or whither.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then he felt himself lifted up.
caused to fall to the ground
From this reading He was standing by the table, as I have said, when suddenly, without the sound of an opening door, or the fall of a footstep behind him, a great cloak was thrown over his head, and wound tightly round his body; he was lifted off his feet silently, and borne off, he knew not by whom or whither.
tightlyadverbUS /ˈtaɪtli/
in a tight or constricted manner
From this reading He was standing by the table, as I have said, when suddenly, without the sound of an opening door, or the fall of a footstep behind him, a great cloak was thrown over his head, and wound tightly round his body; he was lifted off his feet silently, and borne off, he knew not by whom or whither.
up to a particular time
From this reading Yet Dick writhed and trembled in despair for he knew not how long, till he heard a horse stamping close by.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It was useless to struggle or cry out, for he was almost smothered, and his captor's arms were as strong as his step was swift and silent.
past form of “tremble” — move or jerk quickly and involuntarily up and down or sideways
From this reading Yet Dick writhed and trembled in despair for he knew not how long, till he heard a horse stamping close by.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Then he felt himself lifted up.
having no beneficial use or incapable of functioning usefully
From this reading It was useless to struggle or cry out, for he was almost smothered, and his captor's arms were as strong as his step was swift and silent.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was standing by the table, as I have said, when suddenly, without the sound of an opening door, or the fall of a footstep behind him, a great cloak was thrown over his head, and wound tightly round his body; he was lifted off his feet silently, and borne off, he knew not by whom or whither.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading It was useless to struggle or cry out, for he was almost smothered, and his captor's arms were as strong as his step was swift and silent.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading MASTER PURVIS TELLS A TALE And what had become of little Dick Chester?
at the time that
From this reading He was standing by the table, as I have said, when suddenly, without the sound of an opening door, or the fall of a footstep behind him, a great cloak was thrown over his head, and wound tightly round his body; he was lifted off his feet silently, and borne off, he knew not by whom or whither.
whitheradverbUS /ˈwɪðər/
an old word meaning “to where”
From this reading He was standing by the table, as I have said, when suddenly, without the sound of an opening door, or the fall of a footstep behind him, a great cloak was thrown over his head, and wound tightly round his body; he was lifted off his feet silently, and borne off, he knew not by whom or whither.
the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He was standing by the table, as I have said, when suddenly, without the sound of an opening door, or the fall of a footstep behind him, a great cloak was thrown over his head, and wound tightly round his body; he was lifted off his feet silently, and borne off, he knew not by whom or whither.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading He was standing by the table, as I have said, when suddenly, without the sound of an opening door, or the fall of a footstep behind him, a great cloak was thrown over his head, and wound tightly round his body; he was lifted off his feet silently, and borne off, he knew not by whom or whither.
an injury to living tissue (especially an injury involving a cut or break in the skin)
From this reading He was standing by the table, as I have said, when suddenly, without the sound of an opening door, or the fall of a footstep behind him, a great cloak was thrown over his head, and wound tightly round his body; he was lifted off his feet silently, and borne off, he knew not by whom or whither.
writhedadjectiveUS /rɪθd/
twisted (especially as in pain or struggle)
From this reading Yet Dick writhed and trembled in despair for he knew not how long, till he heard a horse stamping close by.
but in spite of that
From this reading Yet Dick writhed and trembled in despair for he knew not how long, till he heard a horse stamping close by.
