Chapter XVIII · Chapter 18

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading At half-past ten that same evening, Blakeney, still clad in a workman’s tattered clothes, his feet bare so that he could tread the streets unheard, turned into the Rue de la Croix Blanche.

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading On the ledge of the window, immediately on his left when he entered, a candle was left burning, and beside it there was a scrap of paper with the initials S. P. roughly traced in pencil.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The porte-cochere of the house where Armand lodged had been left on the latch; not a soul was in sight.

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading No one challenged him as he noiselessly glided past it, and up the narrow stairs that led to the upper floor.

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading At half-past ten that same evening, Blakeney, still clad in a workman’s tattered clothes, his feet bare so that he could tread the streets unheard, turned into the Rue de la Croix Blanche.

completely unclothed

From this reading At half-past ten that same evening, Blakeney, still clad in a workman’s tattered clothes, his feet bare so that he could tread the streets unheard, turned into the Rue de la Croix Blanche.

the past participle of “be”

From this reading The porte-cochere of the house where Armand lodged had been left on the latch; not a soul was in sight.

next to; at the side of

From this reading On the ledge of the window, immediately on his left when he entered, a candle was left burning, and beside it there was a scrap of paper with the initials S. P. roughly traced in pencil.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading At half-past ten that same evening, Blakeney, still clad in a workman’s tattered clothes, his feet bare so that he could tread the streets unheard, turned into the Rue de la Croix Blanche.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading At half-past ten that same evening, Blakeney, still clad in a workman’s tattered clothes, his feet bare so that he could tread the streets unheard, turned into the Rue de la Croix Blanche.

the act of burning something

From this reading On the ledge of the window, immediately on his left when he entered, a candle was left burning, and beside it there was a scrap of paper with the initials S. P. roughly traced in pencil.

stick of wax with a wick in the middle

From this reading On the ledge of the window, immediately on his left when he entered, a candle was left burning, and beside it there was a scrap of paper with the initials S. P. roughly traced in pencil.

as if with kid gloves; with caution or prudence or tact

From this reading Peering cautiously round, he slipped into the house.

past form of “challenge” — take exception to

From this reading No one challenged him as he noiselessly glided past it, and up the narrow stairs that led to the upper floor.

wearing or provided with clothing; sometimes used in combination

From this reading At half-past ten that same evening, Blakeney, still clad in a workman’s tattered clothes, his feet bare so that he could tread the streets unheard, turned into the Rue de la Croix Blanche.

clothing in general

From this reading At half-past ten that same evening, Blakeney, still clad in a workman’s tattered clothes, his feet bare so that he could tread the streets unheard, turned into the Rue de la Croix Blanche.

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading At half-past ten that same evening, Blakeney, still clad in a workman’s tattered clothes, his feet bare so that he could tread the streets unheard, turned into the Rue de la Croix Blanche.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading At half-past ten that same evening, Blakeney, still clad in a workman’s tattered clothes, his feet bare so that he could tread the streets unheard, turned into the Rue de la Croix Blanche.

a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies

From this reading At half-past ten that same evening, Blakeney, still clad in a workman’s tattered clothes, his feet bare so that he could tread the streets unheard, turned into the Rue de la Croix Blanche.

past form of “enter” — to come or go into

From this reading On the ledge of the window, immediately on his left when he entered, a candle was left burning, and beside it there was a scrap of paper with the initials S. P. roughly traced in pencil.

the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)

From this reading At half-past ten that same evening, Blakeney, still clad in a workman’s tattered clothes, his feet bare so that he could tread the streets unheard, turned into the Rue de la Croix Blanche.

plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint

From this reading At half-past ten that same evening, Blakeney, still clad in a workman’s tattered clothes, his feet bare so that he could tread the streets unheard, turned into the Rue de la Croix Blanche.

the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)

From this reading No one challenged him as he noiselessly glided past it, and up the narrow stairs that led to the upper floor.

past form of “glide” — move smoothly and effortlessly

From this reading No one challenged him as he noiselessly glided past it, and up the narrow stairs that led to the upper floor.

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading The porte-cochere of the house where Armand lodged had been left on the latch; not a soul was in sight.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading At half-past ten that same evening, Blakeney, still clad in a workman’s tattered clothes, his feet bare so that he could tread the streets unheard, turned into the Rue de la Croix Blanche.

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading At half-past ten that same evening, Blakeney, still clad in a workman’s tattered clothes, his feet bare so that he could tread the streets unheard, turned into the Rue de la Croix Blanche.

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading No one challenged him as he noiselessly glided past it, and up the narrow stairs that led to the upper floor.

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading At half-past ten that same evening, Blakeney, still clad in a workman’s tattered clothes, his feet bare so that he could tread the streets unheard, turned into the Rue de la Croix Blanche.

a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families

From this reading The porte-cochere of the house where Armand lodged had been left on the latch; not a soul was in sight.

without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening

From this reading On the ledge of the window, immediately on his left when he entered, a candle was left burning, and beside it there was a scrap of paper with the initials S. P. roughly traced in pencil.

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading At half-past ten that same evening, Blakeney, still clad in a workman’s tattered clothes, his feet bare so that he could tread the streets unheard, turned into the Rue de la Croix Blanche.

plural of “initial” — the first letter of a word (especially a person's name)

From this reading On the ledge of the window, immediately on his left when he entered, a candle was left burning, and beside it there was a scrap of paper with the initials S. P. roughly traced in pencil.

moving to the inside of something

From this reading At half-past ten that same evening, Blakeney, still clad in a workman’s tattered clothes, his feet bare so that he could tread the streets unheard, turned into the Rue de la Croix Blanche.

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading On the ledge of the window, immediately on his left when he entered, a candle was left burning, and beside it there was a scrap of paper with the initials S. P. roughly traced in pencil.

a white soft metallic element that tarnishes readily; occurs in rare earth minerals and is usually classified as a rare earth

From this reading At half-past ten that same evening, Blakeney, still clad in a workman’s tattered clothes, his feet bare so that he could tread the streets unheard, turned into the Rue de la Croix Blanche.

fasten with a latch

From this reading The porte-cochere of the house where Armand lodged had been left on the latch; not a soul was in sight.

diode such that light emitted at a p-n junction is proportional to the bias current; color depends on the material used

From this reading No one challenged him as he noiselessly glided past it, and up the narrow stairs that led to the upper floor.

a projecting ridge on a mountain or submerged under water

From this reading On the ledge of the window, immediately on his left when he entered, a candle was left burning, and beside it there was a scrap of paper with the initials S. P. roughly traced in pencil.

location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east

From this reading The porte-cochere of the house where Armand lodged had been left on the latch; not a soul was in sight.

past form of “lodge” — be a lodger; stay temporarily

From this reading The porte-cochere of the house where Armand lodged had been left on the latch; not a soul was in sight.

make or become more narrow or restricted

From this reading No one challenged him as he noiselessly glided past it, and up the narrow stairs that led to the upper floor.

not any; not one

From this reading No one challenged him as he noiselessly glided past it, and up the narrow stairs that led to the upper floor.

without a sound

From this reading No one challenged him as he noiselessly glided past it, and up the narrow stairs that led to the upper floor.

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading The porte-cochere of the house where Armand lodged had been left on the latch; not a soul was in sight.

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The porte-cochere of the house where Armand lodged had been left on the latch; not a soul was in sight.

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading The porte-cochere of the house where Armand lodged had been left on the latch; not a soul was in sight.

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading No one challenged him as he noiselessly glided past it, and up the narrow stairs that led to the upper floor.

a multivalent nonmetallic element of the nitrogen family that occurs commonly in inorganic phosphate rocks and as organic phosphates in all living cells; is highly reactive and occurs in several allotropic forms

From this reading On the ledge of the window, immediately on his left when he entered, a candle was left burning, and beside it there was a scrap of paper with the initials S. P. roughly traced in pencil.

a material made of cellulose pulp derived mainly from wood or rags or certain grasses

From this reading On the ledge of the window, immediately on his left when he entered, a candle was left burning, and beside it there was a scrap of paper with the initials S. P. roughly traced in pencil.

the time that has elapsed

From this reading No one challenged him as he noiselessly glided past it, and up the narrow stairs that led to the upper floor.

-ing form of “peer” — look searchingly

From this reading Peering cautiously round, he slipped into the house.

a thin cylindrical pointed writing implement; a rod of marking substance encased in wood

From this reading On the ledge of the window, immediately on his left when he entered, a candle was left burning, and beside it there was a scrap of paper with the initials S. P. roughly traced in pencil.

a carriage entrance passing through a building to an enclosed courtyard

From this reading The porte-cochere of the house where Armand lodged had been left on the latch; not a soul was in sight.

(of quantities) imprecise but fairly close to correct

From this reading On the ledge of the window, immediately on his left when he entered, a candle was left burning, and beside it there was a scrap of paper with the initials S. P. roughly traced in pencil.

a charge of ammunition for a single shot

From this reading Peering cautiously round, he slipped into the house.

European strong-scented perennial herb with grey-green bitter-tasting leaves; an irritant similar to poison ivy

From this reading At half-past ten that same evening, Blakeney, still clad in a workman’s tattered clothes, his feet bare so that he could tread the streets unheard, turned into the Rue de la Croix Blanche.

1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites

From this reading On the ledge of the window, immediately on his left when he entered, a candle was left burning, and beside it there was a scrap of paper with the initials S. P. roughly traced in pencil.

Identical; not different.

From this reading At half-past ten that same evening, Blakeney, still clad in a workman’s tattered clothes, his feet bare so that he could tread the streets unheard, turned into the Rue de la Croix Blanche.

a small fragment of something broken off from the whole

From this reading On the ledge of the window, immediately on his left when he entered, a candle was left burning, and beside it there was a scrap of paper with the initials S. P. roughly traced in pencil.

an instance of visual perception

From this reading The porte-cochere of the house where Armand lodged had been left on the latch; not a soul was in sight.

inflected form of “slip” — move stealthily

From this reading Peering cautiously round, he slipped into the house.

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading At half-past ten that same evening, Blakeney, still clad in a workman’s tattered clothes, his feet bare so that he could tread the streets unheard, turned into the Rue de la Croix Blanche.

the immaterial part of a person; the actuating cause of an individual life

From this reading The porte-cochere of the house where Armand lodged had been left on the latch; not a soul was in sight.

a flight of stairs or a flight of steps

From this reading No one challenged him as he noiselessly glided past it, and up the narrow stairs that led to the upper floor.

not in physical motion

From this reading At half-past ten that same evening, Blakeney, still clad in a workman’s tattered clothes, his feet bare so that he could tread the streets unheard, turned into the Rue de la Croix Blanche.

plural of “street” — a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings

From this reading At half-past ten that same evening, Blakeney, still clad in a workman’s tattered clothes, his feet bare so that he could tread the streets unheard, turned into the Rue de la Croix Blanche.

worn to shreds; or wearing torn or ragged clothing

From this reading At half-past ten that same evening, Blakeney, still clad in a workman’s tattered clothes, his feet bare so that he could tread the streets unheard, turned into the Rue de la Croix Blanche.

the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system

From this reading At half-past ten that same evening, Blakeney, still clad in a workman’s tattered clothes, his feet bare so that he could tread the streets unheard, turned into the Rue de la Croix Blanche.

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading At half-past ten that same evening, Blakeney, still clad in a workman’s tattered clothes, his feet bare so that he could tread the streets unheard, turned into the Rue de la Croix Blanche.

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading At half-past ten that same evening, Blakeney, still clad in a workman’s tattered clothes, his feet bare so that he could tread the streets unheard, turned into the Rue de la Croix Blanche.

in or at that place or location

From this reading On the ledge of the window, immediately on his left when he entered, a candle was left burning, and beside it there was a scrap of paper with the initials S. P. roughly traced in pencil.

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading No one challenged him as he noiselessly glided past it, and up the narrow stairs that led to the upper floor.

past form of “trace” — follow, discover, or ascertain the course of development of something

From this reading On the ledge of the window, immediately on his left when he entered, a candle was left burning, and beside it there was a scrap of paper with the initials S. P. roughly traced in pencil.

put down or press the foot, place the foot

From this reading At half-past ten that same evening, Blakeney, still clad in a workman’s tattered clothes, his feet bare so that he could tread the streets unheard, turned into the Rue de la Croix Blanche.

moved around an axis or center

From this reading At half-past ten that same evening, Blakeney, still clad in a workman’s tattered clothes, his feet bare so that he could tread the streets unheard, turned into the Rue de la Croix Blanche.

not necessarily inaudible but not heard

From this reading At half-past ten that same evening, Blakeney, still clad in a workman’s tattered clothes, his feet bare so that he could tread the streets unheard, turned into the Rue de la Croix Blanche.

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading No one challenged him as he noiselessly glided past it, and up the narrow stairs that led to the upper floor.

the topmost one of two

From this reading No one challenged him as he noiselessly glided past it, and up the narrow stairs that led to the upper floor.

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading The porte-cochere of the house where Armand lodged had been left on the latch; not a soul was in sight.

at the time that

From this reading On the ledge of the window, immediately on his left when he entered, a candle was left burning, and beside it there was a scrap of paper with the initials S. P. roughly traced in pencil.

in or at the place that

From this reading The porte-cochere of the house where Armand lodged had been left on the latch; not a soul was in sight.

a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air

From this reading On the ledge of the window, immediately on his left when he entered, a candle was left burning, and beside it there was a scrap of paper with the initials S. P. roughly traced in pencil.

in the company of; together with

From this reading On the ledge of the window, immediately on his left when he entered, a candle was left burning, and beside it there was a scrap of paper with the initials S. P. roughly traced in pencil.

possessive form of “workman” — an employee who performs manual or industrial labor

From this reading At half-past ten that same evening, Blakeney, still clad in a workman’s tattered clothes, his feet bare so that he could tread the streets unheard, turned into the Rue de la Croix Blanche.