used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading How had he again become a Catholic, and got to this point?
AfterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading "After all, my surprise depends on preconceived ideas of conversions.
anew
From this reading How had he again become a Catholic, and got to this point?
(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 Durtal answered himself: "I cannot tell, all that I know is that, having been for years an unbeliever, I suddenly believe.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Durtal answered himself: "I cannot tell, all that I know is that, having been for years an unbeliever, I suddenly believe.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading How had he again become a Catholic, and got to this point?
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading Durtal answered himself: "I cannot tell, all that I know is that, having been for years an unbeliever, I suddenly believe.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "Let us see," he said to himself, "let us try at least to consider if, however great the obscurity of such a subject, there be not common sense in it.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Let us see," he said to himself, "let us try at least to consider if, however great the obscurity of such a subject, there be not common sense in it.
enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading How had he again become a Catholic, and got to this point?
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Durtal answered himself: "I cannot tell, all that I know is that, having been for years an unbeliever, I suddenly believe.
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading Durtal answered himself: "I cannot tell, all that I know is that, having been for years an unbeliever, I suddenly believe.
cannot
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Durtal answered himself: "I cannot tell, all that I know is that, having been for years an unbeliever, I suddenly believe.
CatholicadjectiveUS /ˈkæθlɪk/
of or relating to or supporting Catholicism
From this reading How had he again become a Catholic, and got to this point?
cleverlyadverbUS /ˈklevərli/
in a clever manner
From this reading I have heard of sudden and violent crises of the soul, of a thunderbolt, or even of faith exploding at last in ground slowly and cleverly mined.
belonging to or participated in by a community as a whole; public
From this reading "Let us see," he said to himself, "let us try at least to consider if, however great the obscurity of such a subject, there be not common sense in it.
deem to be
From this reading "Let us see," he said to himself, "let us try at least to consider if, however great the obscurity of such a subject, there be not common sense in it.
conversionsnounUS /kənˈvɜːrʒənz/
plural of “conversion” — an event that results in a transformation
From this reading "After all, my surprise depends on preconceived ideas of conversions.
crisesnounUS /ˈkraɪsiz/
plural of “crisis” — an unstable situation of extreme danger or difficulty
From this reading I have heard of sudden and violent crises of the soul, of a thunderbolt, or even of faith exploding at last in ground slowly and cleverly mined.
dependsverbUS /dɪˈpendz/
third-person singular of “depend” — be contingent upon (something that is elided)
From this reading "After all, my surprise depends on preconceived ideas of conversions.
Durtal
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Durtal answered himself: "I cannot tell, all that I know is that, having been for years an unbeliever, I suddenly believe.
divisible by two
From this reading I have heard of sudden and violent crises of the soul, of a thunderbolt, or even of faith exploding at last in ground slowly and cleverly mined.
explodingverbUS /ɪkˈsploʊdɪŋ/
-ing form of “explode” — cause to burst with a violent release of energy
From this reading I have heard of sudden and violent crises of the soul, of a thunderbolt, or even of faith exploding at last in ground slowly and cleverly mined.
a strong belief in a supernatural power or powers that control human destiny
From this reading I have heard of sudden and violent crises of the soul, of a thunderbolt, or even of faith exploding at last in ground slowly and cleverly mined.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Durtal answered himself: "I cannot tell, all that I know is that, having been for years an unbeliever, I suddenly believe.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading How had he again become a Catholic, and got to this point?
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading "Let us see," he said to himself, "let us try at least to consider if, however great the obscurity of such a subject, there be not common sense in it.
the solid part of the earth's surface
From this reading I have heard of sudden and violent crises of the soul, of a thunderbolt, or even of faith exploding at last in ground slowly and cleverly mined.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading How had he again become a Catholic, and got to this point?
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I have heard of sudden and violent crises of the soul, of a thunderbolt, or even of faith exploding at last in ground slowly and cleverly mined.
havingauxiliary verbUS /ˈhævɪŋ/
the -ing form of “have”
From this reading Durtal answered himself: "I cannot tell, all that I know is that, having been for years an unbeliever, I suddenly believe.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading How had he again become a Catholic, and got to this point?
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading I have heard of sudden and violent crises of the soul, of a thunderbolt, or even of faith exploding at last in ground slowly and cleverly mined.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Durtal answered himself: "I cannot tell, all that I know is that, having been for years an unbeliever, I suddenly believe.
How
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How had he again become a Catholic, and got to this point?
used to add a contrasting statement
From this reading "Let us see," he said to himself, "let us try at least to consider if, however great the obscurity of such a subject, there be not common sense in it.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Durtal answered himself: "I cannot tell, all that I know is that, having been for years an unbeliever, I suddenly believe.
plural of “idea” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading "After all, my surprise depends on preconceived ideas of conversions.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "Let us see," he said to himself, "let us try at least to consider if, however great the obscurity of such a subject, there be not common sense in it.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Let us see," he said to himself, "let us try at least to consider if, however great the obscurity of such a subject, there be not common sense in it.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Durtal answered himself: "I cannot tell, all that I know is that, having been for years an unbeliever, I suddenly believe.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Let us see," he said to himself, "let us try at least to consider if, however great the obscurity of such a subject, there be not common sense in it.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading Durtal answered himself: "I cannot tell, all that I know is that, having been for years an unbeliever, I suddenly believe.
immediately past
From this reading I have heard of sudden and violent crises of the soul, of a thunderbolt, or even of faith exploding at last in ground slowly and cleverly mined.
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading "Let us see," he said to himself, "let us try at least to consider if, however great the obscurity of such a subject, there be not common sense in it.
Letauxiliary verbUS /let/
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading "Let us see," he said to himself, "let us try at least to consider if, however great the obscurity of such a subject, there be not common sense in it.
minedadjectiveUS /maɪnd/
extracted from a source of supply as of minerals from the earth
From this reading I have heard of sudden and violent crises of the soul, of a thunderbolt, or even of faith exploding at last in ground slowly and cleverly mined.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "After all, my surprise depends on preconceived ideas of conversions.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Let us see," he said to himself, "let us try at least to consider if, however great the obscurity of such a subject, there be not common sense in it.
obscuritynounUS /əbsˈkjʊrəti/
the quality of being unclear or abstruse and hard to understand
From this reading "Let us see," he said to himself, "let us try at least to consider if, however great the obscurity of such a subject, there be not common sense in it.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Let us see," he said to himself, "let us try at least to consider if, however great the obscurity of such a subject, there be not common sense in it.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "After all, my surprise depends on preconceived ideas of conversions.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading I have heard of sudden and violent crises of the soul, of a thunderbolt, or even of faith exploding at last in ground slowly and cleverly mined.
a geometric element that has position but no extension
From this reading How had he again become a Catholic, and got to this point?
preconceivedadjectiveUS /ˌpriːkənˈsiːvd/
(of an idea or opinion) formed beforehand; especially without evidence or through prejudice
From this reading "After all, my surprise depends on preconceived ideas of conversions.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Let us see," he said to himself, "let us try at least to consider if, however great the obscurity of such a subject, there be not common sense in it.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "Let us see," he said to himself, "let us try at least to consider if, however great the obscurity of such a subject, there be not common sense in it.
a general conscious awareness
From this reading "Let us see," he said to himself, "let us try at least to consider if, however great the obscurity of such a subject, there be not common sense in it.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading I have heard of sudden and violent crises of the soul, of a thunderbolt, or even of faith exploding at last in ground slowly and cleverly mined.
the immaterial part of a person; the actuating cause of an individual life
From this reading I have heard of sudden and violent crises of the soul, of a thunderbolt, or even of faith exploding at last in ground slowly and cleverly mined.
the subject matter of a conversation or discussion
From this reading "Let us see," he said to himself, "let us try at least to consider if, however great the obscurity of such a subject, there be not common sense in it.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading "Let us see," he said to himself, "let us try at least to consider if, however great the obscurity of such a subject, there be not common sense in it.
happening without warning or in a short space of time
From this reading I have heard of sudden and violent crises of the soul, of a thunderbolt, or even of faith exploding at last in ground slowly and cleverly mined.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading Durtal answered himself: "I cannot tell, all that I know is that, having been for years an unbeliever, I suddenly believe.
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading "After all, my surprise depends on preconceived ideas of conversions.
express in words
From this reading Durtal answered himself: "I cannot tell, all that I know is that, having been for years an unbeliever, I suddenly believe.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Durtal answered himself: "I cannot tell, all that I know is that, having been for years an unbeliever, I suddenly believe.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Let us see," he said to himself, "let us try at least to consider if, however great the obscurity of such a subject, there be not common sense in it.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "Let us see," he said to himself, "let us try at least to consider if, however great the obscurity of such a subject, there be not common sense in it.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading How had he again become a Catholic, and got to this point?
thunderboltnounUS /ˈθʌndərbɔːlt/
a discharge of lightning accompanied by thunder
From this reading I have heard of sudden and violent crises of the soul, of a thunderbolt, or even of faith exploding at last in ground slowly and cleverly mined.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading How had he again become a Catholic, and got to this point?
make an effort or attempt
From this reading "Let us see," he said to himself, "let us try at least to consider if, however great the obscurity of such a subject, there be not common sense in it.
unbeliever
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Durtal answered himself: "I cannot tell, all that I know is that, having been for years an unbeliever, I suddenly believe.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Let us see," he said to himself, "let us try at least to consider if, however great the obscurity of such a subject, there be not common sense in it.
acting with or marked by or resulting from great force or energy or emotional intensity
From this reading I have heard of sudden and violent crises of the soul, of a thunderbolt, or even of faith exploding at last in ground slowly and cleverly mined.
a late time of life
From this reading Durtal answered himself: "I cannot tell, all that I know is that, having been for years an unbeliever, I suddenly believe.
