used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading I stopped to light a torch, and my flint and steel work none too fast in this damp and dismal dungeon.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "We came upon some obstruction in the passage, Master Edgar," replied Peter earnestly, "and I dared not go on with the ladies in the darkness, not knowing what pitfalls might lie in wait for us.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But here is the door, and I see no sentinel."
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "We came upon some obstruction in the passage, Master Edgar," replied Peter earnestly, "and I dared not go on with the ladies in the darkness, not knowing what pitfalls might lie in wait for us.
the part of the human torso between the neck and the diaphragm or the corresponding part in other vertebrates
From this reading "Was yon great chest the obstruction?
dampadjectiveUS /dæmp/
slightly wet
From this reading I stopped to light a torch, and my flint and steel work none too fast in this damp and dismal dungeon.
past form of “dare” — take upon oneself; act presumptuously, without permission
From this reading "We came upon some obstruction in the passage, Master Edgar," replied Peter earnestly, "and I dared not go on with the ladies in the darkness, not knowing what pitfalls might lie in wait for us.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading "We came upon some obstruction in the passage, Master Edgar," replied Peter earnestly, "and I dared not go on with the ladies in the darkness, not knowing what pitfalls might lie in wait for us.
Didstauxiliary verbUS /dɪdst/
an old form of “did”, used with “thou”
From this reading Didst open it?"
dismaladjectiveUS /ˈdɪzməl/
causing dejection
From this reading I stopped to light a torch, and my flint and steel work none too fast in this damp and dismal dungeon.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading But here is the door, and I see no sentinel."
dungeonnounUS /ˈdʌndʒən/
the main tower within the walls of a medieval castle or fortress
From this reading I stopped to light a torch, and my flint and steel work none too fast in this damp and dismal dungeon.
in a serious manner
From this reading "We came upon some obstruction in the passage, Master Edgar," replied Peter earnestly, "and I dared not go on with the ladies in the darkness, not knowing what pitfalls might lie in wait for us.
EdgarnounUS /ˈedɡər/
the younger brother of Edwy who became king of Northumbria when it renounced Edwy; on Edwy's death he succeeded to the throne of England (944-975)
From this reading "We came upon some obstruction in the passage, Master Edgar," replied Peter earnestly, "and I dared not go on with the ladies in the darkness, not knowing what pitfalls might lie in wait for us.
quickly or rapidly (often used as a combining form)
From this reading I stopped to light a torch, and my flint and steel work none too fast in this damp and dismal dungeon.
flintnounUS /flɪnt/
a hard kind of stone; a form of silica more opaque than chalcedony
From this reading I stopped to light a torch, and my flint and steel work none too fast in this damp and dismal dungeon.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "We came upon some obstruction in the passage, Master Edgar," replied Peter earnestly, "and I dared not go on with the ladies in the darkness, not knowing what pitfalls might lie in wait for us.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "We came upon some obstruction in the passage, Master Edgar," replied Peter earnestly, "and I dared not go on with the ladies in the darkness, not knowing what pitfalls might lie in wait for us.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading "Was yon great chest the obstruction?
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading But here is the door, and I see no sentinel."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "We came upon some obstruction in the passage, Master Edgar," replied Peter earnestly, "and I dared not go on with the ladies in the darkness, not knowing what pitfalls might lie in wait for us.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "We came upon some obstruction in the passage, Master Edgar," replied Peter earnestly, "and I dared not go on with the ladies in the darkness, not knowing what pitfalls might lie in wait for us.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But here is the door, and I see no sentinel."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Didst open it?"
evidencing the possession of inside information
From this reading "We came upon some obstruction in the passage, Master Edgar," replied Peter earnestly, "and I dared not go on with the ladies in the darkness, not knowing what pitfalls might lie in wait for us.
plural of “lady” — a polite name for any woman
From this reading "We came upon some obstruction in the passage, Master Edgar," replied Peter earnestly, "and I dared not go on with the ladies in the darkness, not knowing what pitfalls might lie in wait for us.
be located or situated somewhere; occupy a certain position
From this reading "We came upon some obstruction in the passage, Master Edgar," replied Peter earnestly, "and I dared not go on with the ladies in the darkness, not knowing what pitfalls might lie in wait for us.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading I stopped to light a torch, and my flint and steel work none too fast in this damp and dismal dungeon.
an artist of consummate skill
From this reading "We came upon some obstruction in the passage, Master Edgar," replied Peter earnestly, "and I dared not go on with the ladies in the darkness, not knowing what pitfalls might lie in wait for us.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading "We came upon some obstruction in the passage, Master Edgar," replied Peter earnestly, "and I dared not go on with the ladies in the darkness, not knowing what pitfalls might lie in wait for us.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I stopped to light a torch, and my flint and steel work none too fast in this damp and dismal dungeon.
not any; not one
From this reading But here is the door, and I see no sentinel."
not one, and not any
From this reading I stopped to light a torch, and my flint and steel work none too fast in this damp and dismal dungeon.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "We came upon some obstruction in the passage, Master Edgar," replied Peter earnestly, "and I dared not go on with the ladies in the darkness, not knowing what pitfalls might lie in wait for us.
obstructionnounUS /əbˈstrʌkʃən/
any structure that makes progress difficult
From this reading "We came upon some obstruction in the passage, Master Edgar," replied Peter earnestly, "and I dared not go on with the ladies in the darkness, not knowing what pitfalls might lie in wait for us.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "We came upon some obstruction in the passage, Master Edgar," replied Peter earnestly, "and I dared not go on with the ladies in the darkness, not knowing what pitfalls might lie in wait for us.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading Didst open it?"
the act of passing from one state or place to the next
From this reading "We came upon some obstruction in the passage, Master Edgar," replied Peter earnestly, "and I dared not go on with the ladies in the darkness, not knowing what pitfalls might lie in wait for us.
disciple of Jesus and leader of the Apostles; regarded by Catholics as the vicar of Christ on earth and first Pope
From this reading "We came upon some obstruction in the passage, Master Edgar," replied Peter earnestly, "and I dared not go on with the ladies in the darkness, not knowing what pitfalls might lie in wait for us.
pitfallsnounUS /ˈpɪtfɔːlz/
plural of “pitfall” — an unforeseen or unexpected or surprising difficulty
From this reading "We came upon some obstruction in the passage, Master Edgar," replied Peter earnestly, "and I dared not go on with the ladies in the darkness, not knowing what pitfalls might lie in wait for us.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading "We came upon some obstruction in the passage, Master Edgar," replied Peter earnestly, "and I dared not go on with the ladies in the darkness, not knowing what pitfalls might lie in wait for us.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading But here is the door, and I see no sentinel."
sentinelnounUS /ˈsentənəl/
a person employed to keep watch for some anticipated event
From this reading But here is the door, and I see no sentinel."
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading "We came upon some obstruction in the passage, Master Edgar," replied Peter earnestly, "and I dared not go on with the ladies in the darkness, not knowing what pitfalls might lie in wait for us.
an alloy of iron with small amounts of carbon; widely used in construction; mechanical properties can be varied over a wide range
From this reading I stopped to light a torch, and my flint and steel work none too fast in this damp and dismal dungeon.
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading I stopped to light a torch, and my flint and steel work none too fast in this damp and dismal dungeon.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "We came upon some obstruction in the passage, Master Edgar," replied Peter earnestly, "and I dared not go on with the ladies in the darkness, not knowing what pitfalls might lie in wait for us.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading I stopped to light a torch, and my flint and steel work none too fast in this damp and dismal dungeon.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I stopped to light a torch, and my flint and steel work none too fast in this damp and dismal dungeon.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading I stopped to light a torch, and my flint and steel work none too fast in this damp and dismal dungeon.
torchnounUS /tɔːrtʃ/
a light usually carried in the hand; consists of some flammable substance
From this reading I stopped to light a torch, and my flint and steel work none too fast in this damp and dismal dungeon.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading "We came upon some obstruction in the passage, Master Edgar," replied Peter earnestly, "and I dared not go on with the ladies in the darkness, not knowing what pitfalls might lie in wait for us.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "We came upon some obstruction in the passage, Master Edgar," replied Peter earnestly, "and I dared not go on with the ladies in the darkness, not knowing what pitfalls might lie in wait for us.
stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading "We came upon some obstruction in the passage, Master Edgar," replied Peter earnestly, "and I dared not go on with the ladies in the darkness, not knowing what pitfalls might lie in wait for us.
Wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Was yon great chest the obstruction?
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "We came upon some obstruction in the passage, Master Edgar," replied Peter earnestly, "and I dared not go on with the ladies in the darkness, not knowing what pitfalls might lie in wait for us.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "We came upon some obstruction in the passage, Master Edgar," replied Peter earnestly, "and I dared not go on with the ladies in the darkness, not knowing what pitfalls might lie in wait for us.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "We came upon some obstruction in the passage, Master Edgar," replied Peter earnestly, "and I dared not go on with the ladies in the darkness, not knowing what pitfalls might lie in wait for us.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading I stopped to light a torch, and my flint and steel work none too fast in this damp and dismal dungeon.
yonadjectiveUS /jɑːn/
distant but within sight (“yon” is dialectal)
From this reading "Was yon great chest the obstruction?
