used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading “I will tell you, Gilbert: but I must tell you a long story first, almost all the story of my life.”
abstractionnounUS /æbˈstrækʃən/
a concept or idea not associated with any specific instance
From this reading Her voice, resonant and musical, roused Launcelot Darrell from his gloomy abstraction.
(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 “I will tell you, Gilbert: but I must tell you a long story first, almost all the story of my life.”
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading “I will tell you, Gilbert: but I must tell you a long story first, almost all the story of my life.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Her voice, resonant and musical, roused Launcelot Darrell from his gloomy abstraction.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “You asked me why I came here to-night,” she said, looking at her husband.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “You asked me why I came here to-night,” she said, looking at her husband.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading He looked up at Eleanor, and for the first time began to wonder how and why she had come there.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “I will tell you, Gilbert: but I must tell you a long story first, almost all the story of my life.”
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading “You asked me why I came here to-night,” she said, looking at her husband.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading He looked up at Eleanor, and for the first time began to wonder how and why she had come there.
Darrell
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Her voice, resonant and musical, roused Launcelot Darrell from his gloomy abstraction.
Eleanor
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He looked up at Eleanor, and for the first time began to wonder how and why she had come there.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading “I will tell you, Gilbert: but I must tell you a long story first, almost all the story of my life.”
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He looked up at Eleanor, and for the first time began to wonder how and why she had come there.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Her voice, resonant and musical, roused Launcelot Darrell from his gloomy abstraction.
GilbertnounUS /ˈɡɪlbərt/
a unit of magnetomotive force equal to 0.7958 ampere-turns
From this reading “I will tell you, Gilbert: but I must tell you a long story first, almost all the story of my life.”
depressingly dark
From this reading Her voice, resonant and musical, roused Launcelot Darrell from his gloomy abstraction.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He looked up at Eleanor, and for the first time began to wonder how and why she had come there.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He looked up at Eleanor, and for the first time began to wonder how and why she had come there.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading “You asked me why I came here to-night,” she said, looking at her husband.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading “You asked me why I came here to-night,” she said, looking at her husband.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Her voice, resonant and musical, roused Launcelot Darrell from his gloomy abstraction.
how
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He looked up at Eleanor, and for the first time began to wonder how and why she had come there.
a married man; a woman's partner in marriage
From this reading “You asked me why I came here to-night,” she said, looking at her husband.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “You asked me why I came here to-night,” she said, looking at her husband.
Launcelot
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Her voice, resonant and musical, roused Launcelot Darrell from his gloomy abstraction.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading “I will tell you, Gilbert: but I must tell you a long story first, almost all the story of my life.”
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 “I will tell you, Gilbert: but I must tell you a long story first, almost all the story of my life.”
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading He looked up at Eleanor, and for the first time began to wonder how and why she had come there.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading “You asked me why I came here to-night,” she said, looking at her husband.
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading LOST.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “You asked me why I came here to-night,” she said, looking at her husband.
musicaladjectiveUS /ˈmjuːzɪkəl/
characterized by or capable of producing music
From this reading Her voice, resonant and musical, roused Launcelot Darrell from his gloomy abstraction.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading “I will tell you, Gilbert: but I must tell you a long story first, almost all the story of my life.”
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “I will tell you, Gilbert: but I must tell you a long story first, almost all the story of my life.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “I will tell you, Gilbert: but I must tell you a long story first, almost all the story of my life.”
resonantadjectiveUS /ˈrezənənt/
characterized by resonance
From this reading Her voice, resonant and musical, roused Launcelot Darrell from his gloomy abstraction.
past form of “rouse” — become active
From this reading Her voice, resonant and musical, roused Launcelot Darrell from his gloomy abstraction.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “You asked me why I came here to-night,” she said, looking at her husband.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “You asked me why I came here to-night,” she said, looking at her husband.
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 “I will tell you, Gilbert: but I must tell you a long story first, almost all the story of my life.”
express in words
From this reading “I will tell you, Gilbert: but I must tell you a long story first, almost all the story of my life.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “I will tell you, Gilbert: but I must tell you a long story first, almost all the story of my life.”
in or at that place or location
From this reading He looked up at Eleanor, and for the first time began to wonder how and why she had come there.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading He looked up at Eleanor, and for the first time began to wonder how and why she had come there.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He looked up at Eleanor, and for the first time began to wonder how and why she had come there.
to-night
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You asked me why I came here to-night,” she said, looking at her husband.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading He looked up at Eleanor, and for the first time began to wonder how and why she had come there.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading Her voice, resonant and musical, roused Launcelot Darrell from his gloomy abstraction.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading “You asked me why I came here to-night,” she said, looking at her husband.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading “I will tell you, Gilbert: but I must tell you a long story first, almost all the story of my life.”
the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising
From this reading He looked up at Eleanor, and for the first time began to wonder how and why she had come there.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You asked me why I came here to-night,” she said, looking at her husband.
