used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A NEW PERPLEXITY.
agencynounUS /ˈeɪdʒənsi/
an administrative unit of government
From this reading By what agency had this disappearance come to pass?
fear resulting from the awareness of danger
From this reading The disappearance of the boom and of Tom's old striped shirt, which had waved from it like a banner, excited considerable speculation and something of alarm.
alarmingadjectiveUS /əˈlɑːrmɪŋ/
frightening because of an awareness of danger
From this reading That it was the work of wild animals could not for a moment be conceived; so the event filled us with vague but very alarming conjectures.
(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 If simply overturned by the wind, it must have lain where it fell; at all events, it could not have rolled far from the cairn, or pile of stones, in the centre of which we had wedged it.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The disappearance of the boom and of Tom's old striped shirt, which had waved from it like a banner, excited considerable speculation and something of alarm.
plural of “animal” — a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading That it was the work of wild animals could not for a moment be conceived; so the event filled us with vague but very alarming conjectures.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading If simply overturned by the wind, it must have lain where it fell; at all events, it could not have rolled far from the cairn, or pile of stones, in the centre of which we had wedged it.
bannernounUS /ˈbænər/
long strip of cloth or paper used for decoration or advertising
From this reading The disappearance of the boom and of Tom's old striped shirt, which had waved from it like a banner, excited considerable speculation and something of alarm.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading That it was the work of wild animals could not for a moment be conceived; so the event filled us with vague but very alarming conjectures.
boomverbUS /buːm/
make a resonant sound, like artillery
From this reading The disappearance of the boom and of Tom's old striped shirt, which had waved from it like a banner, excited considerable speculation and something of alarm.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading That it was the work of wild animals could not for a moment be conceived; so the event filled us with vague but very alarming conjectures.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading If simply overturned by the wind, it must have lain where it fell; at all events, it could not have rolled far from the cairn, or pile of stones, in the centre of which we had wedged it.
cairnnounUS /kern/
a mound of stones piled up as a memorial or to mark a boundary or path
From this reading If simply overturned by the wind, it must have lain where it fell; at all events, it could not have rolled far from the cairn, or pile of stones, in the centre of which we had wedged it.
a low-lying region in central France
From this reading If simply overturned by the wind, it must have lain where it fell; at all events, it could not have rolled far from the cairn, or pile of stones, in the centre of which we had wedged it.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading By what agency had this disappearance come to pass?
conceivedverbUS /kənˈsiːvd/
past form of “conceive” — have the idea for
From this reading That it was the work of wild animals could not for a moment be conceived; so the event filled us with vague but very alarming conjectures.
conjecturesnounUS /kənˈdʒektʃərz/
plural of “conjecture” — a hypothesis that has been formed by speculating or conjecturing (usually with little hard evidence)
From this reading That it was the work of wild animals could not for a moment be conceived; so the event filled us with vague but very alarming conjectures.
large or relatively large in number or amount or extent or degree
From this reading The disappearance of the boom and of Tom's old striped shirt, which had waved from it like a banner, excited considerable speculation and something of alarm.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading If simply overturned by the wind, it must have lain where it fell; at all events, it could not have rolled far from the cairn, or pile of stones, in the centre of which we had wedged it.
disappearancenounUS /ˌdɪsəˈpɪrəns/
the act of leaving secretly or without explanation
From this reading The disappearance of the boom and of Tom's old striped shirt, which had waved from it like a banner, excited considerable speculation and something of alarm.
something that happens at a given place and time
From this reading That it was the work of wild animals could not for a moment be conceived; so the event filled us with vague but very alarming conjectures.
plural of “event” — something that happens at a given place and time
From this reading If simply overturned by the wind, it must have lain where it fell; at all events, it could not have rolled far from the cairn, or pile of stones, in the centre of which we had wedged it.
(of persons) excessively affected by emotion
From this reading The disappearance of the boom and of Tom's old striped shirt, which had waved from it like a banner, excited considerable speculation and something of alarm.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading If simply overturned by the wind, it must have lain where it fell; at all events, it could not have rolled far from the cairn, or pile of stones, in the centre of which we had wedged it.
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading If simply overturned by the wind, it must have lain where it fell; at all events, it could not have rolled far from the cairn, or pile of stones, in the centre of which we had wedged it.
(usually followed by “with” or used as a combining form) generously supplied with
From this reading That it was the work of wild animals could not for a moment be conceived; so the event filled us with vague but very alarming conjectures.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading That it was the work of wild animals could not for a moment be conceived; so the event filled us with vague but very alarming conjectures.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The disappearance of the boom and of Tom's old striped shirt, which had waved from it like a banner, excited considerable speculation and something of alarm.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The disappearance of the boom and of Tom's old striped shirt, which had waved from it like a banner, excited considerable speculation and something of alarm.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading If simply overturned by the wind, it must have lain where it fell; at all events, it could not have rolled far from the cairn, or pile of stones, in the centre of which we had wedged it.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If simply overturned by the wind, it must have lain where it fell; at all events, it could not have rolled far from the cairn, or pile of stones, in the centre of which we had wedged it.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading If simply overturned by the wind, it must have lain where it fell; at all events, it could not have rolled far from the cairn, or pile of stones, in the centre of which we had wedged it.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The disappearance of the boom and of Tom's old striped shirt, which had waved from it like a banner, excited considerable speculation and something of alarm.
lainverbUS /leɪn/
inflected form of “lie” — be located or situated somewhere; occupy a certain position
From this reading If simply overturned by the wind, it must have lain where it fell; at all events, it could not have rolled far from the cairn, or pile of stones, in the centre of which we had wedged it.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading The disappearance of the boom and of Tom's old striped shirt, which had waved from it like a banner, excited considerable speculation and something of alarm.
a particular point in time
From this reading That it was the work of wild animals could not for a moment be conceived; so the event filled us with vague but very alarming conjectures.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading If simply overturned by the wind, it must have lain where it fell; at all events, it could not have rolled far from the cairn, or pile of stones, in the centre of which we had wedged it.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading A NEW PERPLEXITY.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading If simply overturned by the wind, it must have lain where it fell; at all events, it could not have rolled far from the cairn, or pile of stones, in the centre of which we had wedged it.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The disappearance of the boom and of Tom's old striped shirt, which had waved from it like a banner, excited considerable speculation and something of alarm.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading The disappearance of the boom and of Tom's old striped shirt, which had waved from it like a banner, excited considerable speculation and something of alarm.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading If simply overturned by the wind, it must have lain where it fell; at all events, it could not have rolled far from the cairn, or pile of stones, in the centre of which we had wedged it.
overturnedadjectiveUS /ˈoʊvərtɜːrnd/
having been turned so that the bottom is no longer the bottom
From this reading If simply overturned by the wind, it must have lain where it fell; at all events, it could not have rolled far from the cairn, or pile of stones, in the centre of which we had wedged it.
go across or through
From this reading By what agency had this disappearance come to pass?
PERPLEXITYnounUS /pərˈpleksəti/
trouble or confusion resulting from complexity
From this reading A NEW PERPLEXITY.
a collection of objects laid on top of each other
From this reading If simply overturned by the wind, it must have lain where it fell; at all events, it could not have rolled far from the cairn, or pile of stones, in the centre of which we had wedged it.
especially of petals or leaves in bud; having margins rolled inward
From this reading If simply overturned by the wind, it must have lain where it fell; at all events, it could not have rolled far from the cairn, or pile of stones, in the centre of which we had wedged it.
shirtnounUS /ʃɜːrt/
a garment worn on the upper half of the body
From this reading The disappearance of the boom and of Tom's old striped shirt, which had waved from it like a banner, excited considerable speculation and something of alarm.
and nothing more
From this reading If simply overturned by the wind, it must have lain where it fell; at all events, it could not have rolled far from the cairn, or pile of stones, in the centre of which we had wedged it.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading That it was the work of wild animals could not for a moment be conceived; so the event filled us with vague but very alarming conjectures.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading The disappearance of the boom and of Tom's old striped shirt, which had waved from it like a banner, excited considerable speculation and something of alarm.
speculationnounUS /ˌspekjəˈleɪʃən/
a message expressing an opinion based on incomplete evidence
From this reading The disappearance of the boom and of Tom's old striped shirt, which had waved from it like a banner, excited considerable speculation and something of alarm.
plural of “stone” — a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading If simply overturned by the wind, it must have lain where it fell; at all events, it could not have rolled far from the cairn, or pile of stones, in the centre of which we had wedged it.
stripedadjectiveUS /straɪpt/
marked or decorated with stripes
From this reading The disappearance of the boom and of Tom's old striped shirt, which had waved from it like a banner, excited considerable speculation and something of alarm.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That it was the work of wild animals could not for a moment be conceived; so the event filled us with vague but very alarming conjectures.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The disappearance of the boom and of Tom's old striped shirt, which had waved from it like a banner, excited considerable speculation and something of alarm.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading By what agency had this disappearance come to pass?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading By what agency had this disappearance come to pass?
Tom'snounUS /tɑːmz/
possessive form of “tom” — male cat
From this reading The disappearance of the boom and of Tom's old striped shirt, which had waved from it like a banner, excited considerable speculation and something of alarm.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading That it was the work of wild animals could not for a moment be conceived; so the event filled us with vague but very alarming conjectures.
not clearly expressed or understood
From this reading That it was the work of wild animals could not for a moment be conceived; so the event filled us with vague but very alarming conjectures.
precisely as stated
From this reading That it was the work of wild animals could not for a moment be conceived; so the event filled us with vague but very alarming conjectures.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading That it was the work of wild animals could not for a moment be conceived; so the event filled us with vague but very alarming conjectures.
past form of “wave” — signal with the hands or nod
From this reading The disappearance of the boom and of Tom's old striped shirt, which had waved from it like a banner, excited considerable speculation and something of alarm.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading If simply overturned by the wind, it must have lain where it fell; at all events, it could not have rolled far from the cairn, or pile of stones, in the centre of which we had wedged it.
wedgedadjectiveUS /wedʒd/
wedged or packed in together
From this reading If simply overturned by the wind, it must have lain where it fell; at all events, it could not have rolled far from the cairn, or pile of stones, in the centre of which we had wedged it.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading By what agency had this disappearance come to pass?
in or at the place that
From this reading If simply overturned by the wind, it must have lain where it fell; at all events, it could not have rolled far from the cairn, or pile of stones, in the centre of which we had wedged it.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The disappearance of the boom and of Tom's old striped shirt, which had waved from it like a banner, excited considerable speculation and something of alarm.
marked by extreme lack of restraint or control
From this reading That it was the work of wild animals could not for a moment be conceived; so the event filled us with vague but very alarming conjectures.
air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading If simply overturned by the wind, it must have lain where it fell; at all events, it could not have rolled far from the cairn, or pile of stones, in the centre of which we had wedged it.
in the company of; together with
From this reading That it was the work of wild animals could not for a moment be conceived; so the event filled us with vague but very alarming conjectures.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading That it was the work of wild animals could not for a moment be conceived; so the event filled us with vague but very alarming conjectures.
