used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading At a few yards from the mouth the light disappeared, and I found myself immersed in the dunnest obscurity.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading I proceeded with the utmost caution, always ascertaining, by outstretched arms, the height and breadth of the cavity before me.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The entrance was low, and compelled me to resort to hands as well as feet.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading Had I not been persuaded that another had gone before me, I should have relinquished the attempt.
weapons considered collectively
From this reading I proceeded with the utmost caution, always ascertaining, by outstretched arms, the height and breadth of the cavity before me.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The entrance was low, and compelled me to resort to hands as well as feet.
ascertainingverbUS /ˌæsərˈteɪnɪŋ/
-ing form of “ascertain” — establish after a calculation, investigation, experiment, survey, or study
From this reading I proceeded with the utmost caution, always ascertaining, by outstretched arms, the height and breadth of the cavity before me.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At a few yards from the mouth the light disappeared, and I found myself immersed in the dunnest obscurity.
earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading Had I not been persuaded that another had gone before me, I should have relinquished the attempt.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Had I not been persuaded that another had gone before me, I should have relinquished the attempt.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Had I not been persuaded that another had gone before me, I should have relinquished the attempt.
breadthnounUS /bredθ/
the capacity to understand a broad range of topics
From this reading I proceeded with the utmost caution, always ascertaining, by outstretched arms, the height and breadth of the cavity before me.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading I proceeded with the utmost caution, always ascertaining, by outstretched arms, the height and breadth of the cavity before me.
cautionnounUS /ˈkɑːʃən/
the trait of being cautious; being attentive to possible danger
From this reading I proceeded with the utmost caution, always ascertaining, by outstretched arms, the height and breadth of the cavity before me.
cavitynounUS /ˈkævəti/
a sizeable hole (usually in the ground)
From this reading I proceeded with the utmost caution, always ascertaining, by outstretched arms, the height and breadth of the cavity before me.
inflected form of “compel” — force somebody to do something
From this reading The entrance was low, and compelled me to resort to hands as well as feet.
determinationsnounUS /dɪˌtɜːrmɪˈneɪʃənz/
plural of “determination” — the act of determining the properties of something, usually by research or calculation
From this reading With these determinations, I proceeded.
past form of “disappear” — get lost, as without warning or explanation
From this reading At a few yards from the mouth the light disappeared, and I found myself immersed in the dunnest obscurity.
dunnest
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At a few yards from the mouth the light disappeared, and I found myself immersed in the dunnest obscurity.
something that provides access (to get in or get out)
From this reading The entrance was low, and compelled me to resort to hands as well as feet.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading The entrance was low, and compelled me to resort to hands as well as feet.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading At a few yards from the mouth the light disappeared, and I found myself immersed in the dunnest obscurity.
set up or found
From this reading At a few yards from the mouth the light disappeared, and I found myself immersed in the dunnest obscurity.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading At a few yards from the mouth the light disappeared, and I found myself immersed in the dunnest obscurity.
destroyed or killed
From this reading Had I not been persuaded that another had gone before me, I should have relinquished the attempt.
Hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Had I not been persuaded that another had gone before me, I should have relinquished the attempt.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading The entrance was low, and compelled me to resort to hands as well as feet.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Had I not been persuaded that another had gone before me, I should have relinquished the attempt.
the vertical dimension of extension; distance from the base of something to the top
From this reading I proceeded with the utmost caution, always ascertaining, by outstretched arms, the height and breadth of the cavity before me.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading With these determinations, I proceeded.
immersedverbUS /ˌɪˈmɜːrst/
past form of “immerse” — thrust or throw into
From this reading At a few yards from the mouth the light disappeared, and I found myself immersed in the dunnest obscurity.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading At a few yards from the mouth the light disappeared, and I found myself immersed in the dunnest obscurity.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading At a few yards from the mouth the light disappeared, and I found myself immersed in the dunnest obscurity.
less than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading The entrance was low, and compelled me to resort to hands as well as feet.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The entrance was low, and compelled me to resort to hands as well as feet.
the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge
From this reading At a few yards from the mouth the light disappeared, and I found myself immersed in the dunnest obscurity.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading At a few yards from the mouth the light disappeared, and I found myself immersed in the dunnest obscurity.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Had I not been persuaded that another had gone before me, I should have relinquished the attempt.
obscuritynounUS /əbsˈkjʊrəti/
the quality of being unclear or abstruse and hard to understand
From this reading At a few yards from the mouth the light disappeared, and I found myself immersed in the dunnest obscurity.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I proceeded with the utmost caution, always ascertaining, by outstretched arms, the height and breadth of the cavity before me.
outstretchedadjectiveUS /aʊtˈstretʃt/
fully extended especially in length
From this reading I proceeded with the utmost caution, always ascertaining, by outstretched arms, the height and breadth of the cavity before me.
past form of “persuade” — win approval or support for
From this reading Had I not been persuaded that another had gone before me, I should have relinquished the attempt.
past form of “proceed” — continue talking
From this reading With these determinations, I proceeded.
relinquishedadjectiveUS /rɪˈlɪŋkwɪʃt/
that has been withdrawn or retreated from
From this reading Had I not been persuaded that another had gone before me, I should have relinquished the attempt.
resortnounUS /rɪˈzɔːrt/
a hotel located in a resort area
From this reading The entrance was low, and compelled me to resort to hands as well as feet.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading Had I not been persuaded that another had gone before me, I should have relinquished the attempt.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Had I not been persuaded that another had gone before me, I should have relinquished the attempt.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The entrance was low, and compelled me to resort to hands as well as feet.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading With these determinations, I proceeded.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The entrance was low, and compelled me to resort to hands as well as feet.
of the greatest possible degree or extent or intensity
From this reading I proceeded with the utmost caution, always ascertaining, by outstretched arms, the height and breadth of the cavity before me.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The entrance was low, and compelled me to resort to hands as well as feet.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading The entrance was low, and compelled me to resort to hands as well as feet.
in the company of; together with
From this reading With these determinations, I proceeded.
plural of “yard” — a unit of length equal to 3 feet; defined as 91.44 centimeters; originally taken to be the average length of a stride
From this reading At a few yards from the mouth the light disappeared, and I found myself immersed in the dunnest obscurity.
